


Star Wars TRANSLATIONS

by moviefan_92



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Planet, Aliens, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Best Friends, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Dark Fantasy, Drama, Drama & Romance, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epic Friendship, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Fantasy, Foreign Language, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Heavy Angst, Humor, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Love, Love Confessions, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Parody, Psychological Drama, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Space Battles, Space Flight, Space Opera, Space Stations, Supernatural Elements, The Force, Tragedy, Tragic Romance, Translation, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 02:51:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 78,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17174480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviefan_92/pseuds/moviefan_92
Summary: The scenes from the different Star Wars movies where characters that speak in languages that are untranslated (i.e. R2-D2, Chewbacca, etc.), now with translations. With the help of the books, comics, etc, I have managed to write out these scenes with dialogue for these characters. See how these scenes play out when you can actually understand what these characters are saying. Also includes plot and summary for the rest of the movies.Sci-Fi/Adventure/Parody/Drama/Angst/Fantasy/Family/Humor/Romance/Tragedy/Hurt & Comfort/Supernatural. Pairings: Anakin and Padmé, Han and Leia. Rated for fight scenes.STORY IN PROGRESS





	1. Episode I: The Phantom Menace

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! Ok, so let me explain what exactly it is I'm trying to do here. There are times in the Star Wars movies where characters speak in different languages. During such times, subtitles are normally provided so we can see what they're saying. However, there are times where no subtitles are given. Such examples would be when R2 and Chewy talk. Sometimes, based on how other characters respond to them, we can guess what they are saying, but most times we're left completely in the dark. During such times, I like to guess at what they're trying to say. So I decided to write out the scenes with what I believe the characters are saying in these scenes. Each chapter will be a different movie, and will have multiple scenes with the translations. To make these translations easier to identify, I will italicize the words I believe the characters are saying. So when you see italicized sentences, those are the times when no subtitles were provided in the movies. To help with these translations, I also used the books to help me get make the most accurate things the characters would be saying, sometimes even getting an exact translation when one wasn't made in the movies. Oh, and one last thing, this won't just be a simple script with translation. I will also be describing the scenes themselves and providing plot about what happens between the scene changes to make it more of a story, once again using the books and other resources for background information and ways to write out the scenes. You'll see what I mean. Hope you enjoy it.)
> 
> Translation will be italicized.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Originally posted on 02/03/16 - 04/23/16 at: _<https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11769356/1/Star-Wars-TRANSLATIONS>_**

 

 

**" STAR WARS TRANSLATIONS"**

**Episode I: The Phantom Menace**

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THE ESCAPE FROM NABOO

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"Stay here, and keep out of trouble."

The order came from the Jedi Knight known as Obi-Wan Kenobi. The order was to the particularly strange creature named Jar Jar Binx. It was a much-needed order too, as the alien creature known as Gungan was a rather dimwitted klutz. And seeing as they were currently on a spaceship trying to escape from the Trade Federation that had recently invaded the planet Naboo, there was no room for mistakes. A single mistake could cost them their lives, or, at the very least, lead to their capture.

As Obi-Wan turned to leave, Jar Jar glanced around the room curiously. He saw right away that the room was filled with astromech droids, R2 units from the looks of them. Programmed mechanics, their primary function was to repair any damage done to the ship, either by asteroids, enemy fire, or whatever else may cause harm to the ship.

Smiling at the different colored droids, Jar Jar greeted them with his unusual accent. "Hello, boyos."

The droids activated and glanced at their visitor, offering different forms of greeting.  _"Hello."_

" _Hi."_

" _Hello."_

There wasn't much time for pleasantries. With the Trade Federation's blockade firing on the Nubian starship, they soon took damage. An alarm immediately sounded, alerting the R2 units to report to the damaged area. And one by one, the astromech droids were released from their holding areas and made their way to the cockpit.

" _We've got damage, guys,"_  the yellow R2 unit unnecessarily announced.

" _Time to go to work,"_  the red one muttered.

As Jar Jar bent over to examine one of the droids' holding, the blue R2 deliberately bumped into him from behind.  _"Get out of the way!"_

Jar Jar jumped in surprise and turned to see the blue R2 make its way to the cockpit. "How wude!"

The blue R2 would have rolled its eyes if it had any.  _"You're one to talk,"_ he shot back before he was sucked up to join his fellow mechanics.

Outside the ship, it was chaos. Enemy fire was all around, and one by one, the droids were blasted off the ship, their parts flying away as the ship sped along.

The gravity of the situation wasn't lost to those inside as they watched on the monitor as one droid after another was lost.

"We're losing droids fast," Obi-Wan noted.

"We'll be sitting ducks," was the reply of Captain Panaka, his concern more for the queen than his own life. If they took anymore damage…

Ric Olié was the bearer of bad news. "Shields are gone!"

On the outside, only one R2 unit remained. By coincidence or fate, it was the blue one that had intentionally bumped into Jar Jar. He worked furiously on the damaged area, intent on making the repairs.

" _Almost there,"_  he muttered to himself.  _"Just need reattach this… There we go. All set."_

The ship's readings changed. Olié was briefly baffled by the sudden reprieve and was quick to report. "Powers back."

Smiling inwardly, R2 wrapped up on the repairs.  _"And now for the finishing touches. That's got it."_

Inside the ship, Olié still couldn't believe their fortune. "That little droid did it! He bypassed the main power drive! Shields up at maximum!"

He jammed the thrusters forward, and the transport rocketed away from the Trade Federation's blockade and the planet of Naboo.

With a great amount of pride, the remaining R2 turned around and headed back inside.  _"Alright, I'm out of here."_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

ON ROUTE TO TATOONIE

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The danger of the Trade Federation had passed for now. The Nubian ship was still in one piece, save for the hyperdrive, but they were still alive. And that was the important thing. And it was all thanks to the blue R2 unit that was currently being presented to the current ruler of Naboo, Queen Amidala.

"An extremely well put together little droid, your Highness," Panaka was saying. "Without doubt, it saved the ship, and our lives."

Unbeknownst to several on board, the one that sat before them was not the true queen. For the sake of protecting the true elected ruler, one of the handmaidens had switched places with her and had been deceiving even the Jedi that had come to their rescue.

Dressed in robes and jewelry worthy of a royalty and wearing so much traditional makeup that her actual facial features were all but hidden, Sabé, the decoy queen of Naboo, made her gratitude known. "It is to be commended then. What is its number?"

Filled with pride, the little droid proudly stated,  _"The name's R2-D2, at your service."_

Unfortunately, the beeps and tweets he emitted were not understood by the humans in the room, and so Panaka bent over to read the droid's identification number. "R2-D2, your Highness."

"Thank you, R2-D2," the false queen told the droid.

If he was capable of blushing, R2 wondered if he would be.  _"It was my pleasure, your Highness."_

Aware that the true queen would wish to show her gratitude however she could, Sabé turned to the group of handmaidens and addressed her by her first name. "Padmé, clean this droid up as best you can. It deserves our gratitude."

Once again, R2 was overcome with gratitude. Not many people showed droids such consideration, simply believing that a droid's servitude was a given.  _"You honor me, your Highness."_

He followed Padmé out of the room, leaving the humans to discuss their concerns. They ended up back in the droid storage room where the disguised queen cleaned the little droid the best she could with what she had.

" _Ooh, that feels good,"_  R2 cooed, his sensors picking up the pleasing sensations of her scrubbing. Being a Nubian astromech droid, he knew good and well who it was that was scrubbing him clean, and he felt honored. Yet the moment was ruined as a certain Gungan poked his head into the room.

"Hidoe."

Padmé jumped in surprise as R2 groaned.  _"Oh no, it's him."_

Unaware of the droid's change in attitude, but realizing he had startled the handmaiden, Jar Jar offered his apologies. "Sorry. Whosa are yousa?"

" _Ignore him,"_ R2 suggested, but his comment wasn't understood or heeded.

"I'm Padmé," the queen replied.

"Mesa Jar Jar Binx," the Gungan replied.

" _Oh great,"_  R2 muttered, realizing that she had just invited the goofy yet annoying creature to join them.

He was right, as Padmé gave the droid a curious look. "You're a Gungan, aren't you?"

Jar Jar nodded, his long ears flapping about his neck. "Uh huh."

"How did you end up here with us?"

Jar Jar took that as an invitation to join them and wandered into the room. "My no know. Mesa day starten pitty okeyday witda brisky morning munchen. Den, boom! Getten berry skeered, un grabben dat Jedi, and pow, mesa here."

_"Nice story,"_  R2 muttered, unimpressed. Padmé seemed to find it amusing though as she was smiling.

But Jar Jar wasn't finished yet. "Me getting berry, berry skeered."

" _Truly frightening,"_  R2 sarcastically agreed.

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ON ROUTE TO TATOONIE

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It had been decided that they would land on the desert planet of Tatoonie. It was a planet that had no association with the Trade Federation, and though it was ruled by the gangster Hutt clan, that made it a safe haven. As long as no one discovered the queen was there that is.

It wasn't like they had many options anyway. The ship's hyperdrive was leaking, and its damage was beyond R2's capabilities of repairing. It would have to be replaced if they wanted any hope of making it to Coruscant.

And so they had landed on the outskirts, far enough away from the city, Mos Espa, to remain hidden. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was making his journey to the city along with R2-D2, who held the readouts for the parts they needed, and Jar Jar Binx. Since the city was a multinational spaceport, having Jar Jar with him would make him seems less conspicuous, even if he was most likely a liability.

The Gungan, however, was less than thrilled about this, and he made his displeasure known. "Dis sun doing murder to me skin."

But before they made it too far, a cry from Panaka came from behind them. "Wait."

_"Hold up!"_  R2 unnecessarily told the others.

"Wait," Panaka repeated as he and one of the queen's handmaidens caught up. R2 was pleased to see that it was Padmé, the one that had cleaned him back on the ship. "Her Highness commands that you take your handmaiden with you."

The Jedi did nothing to hide his displeasure, but still kept a calm tone. "No more commands from Her Highness today."

Not missing a beat, Panaka quickly changed tactics. "The queen  _wishes_  it. She's curious about the planet."

Qui-Gon seemed to weigh his options. He didn't have time to argue, but did he really want to cause further dispute by sending the handmaiden all the way back? He looked at the girl and saw strength in her eyes. He considered the situation and decided that she might be useful. Traveling with a girl might suggest they were a family in transit and present a less aggressive look.

He gave in, but he still didn't like it, and he wanted that to be known. "This is not a good idea. Stay close."

He started away again, the others trailing.

_"Don't worry,"_  R2 assured the captain.  _"I'll watch out for her."_

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WATTO'S SHOP

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They had come across a junk dealer's shop that was owned by a Toydarian named Watto. The shop was filled with parts of all kinds, from droids, to speeders, to ships. And while the Toydarian took Qui-Gon and R2 in back to discuss business, he summoned his ten year old slave boy, Anakin Skywalker, to watch the shop.

As Qui-Gon and R2 followed Watto in back, Padmé and Jar Jar stayed in the shop under the watchful eye of Anakin. The boy, however, seemed to have his eyes solely on Padmé. As the two conversed, Jar Jar's curiosity got the better of him. Even with Qui-Gon's warning/order for him not to touch anything, the Gungan couldn't keep his hands to himself, and he soon activated a DUM-series pit droid that sprang to its feet.

This pit droid, however, was somewhat defective, and it bounced about the shop, giggling gleefully as Jar Jar attempted to catch it. He finally managed to grab the droid around the neck, something the little robot was not happy about.

_"Put me down, you ugly thing!"_  the droid snapped, kicking the Gungan.

The commotion seemed to have finally drawn Anakin's attention away from Padmé. "Hey!" he called to the Gungan. "Hit the nose."

Jar Jar dropped the droid. "Oh."

He did as he was told, and the droid immediately powered down and folded back up.

Out back, Qui-Gon and R2 were having their own problems. While Watto did indeed have the parts they needed, even claiming that he was the  _only_  one around that did, he was unwilling to accept the Republic credits Qui-Gon possessed as payment. Even when he attempted to use the Force to bend the Toydarian to his will, the greedy junk dealer was not swayed.

Apparently, a Toydarian's brain functioned differently than most creatures, and thus the Jedi mind trick that allowed those that used the Force to influence the weak-minded did not work on him.

"No money, no parts, no deal," Watto insisted stubbornly. "And no one else has a T-14 Hyperdrive, I can promise you that."

_"Well, that's not good,"_  R2 grumbled.

Chagrined, Qui-Gon wheeled back for the shop, R2 following at his heels. He considered the possibility that Watto was lying about being the only one with the type of hyperdrive they needed, but quickly dismissed the idea. Even if Republic credits weren't acceptable, they were better than nothing, and another shop might be willing to accept them. In which case, why would the Toydarian turn down his offer? But if he really  _was_  the only one, then Qui-Gon would have no choice but to come back with something more substantial.

In any case, even if there was another shop, he was most likely going to run into the same problem. Republic credits were just no good here.

Upon reentering the shop, the Jedi saw that had indeed ignored his order not to touch anything. Jar Jar the Gungan was currently juggling with an armful of junk that had somehow found its way into his arms. He paid the troublemaking Gungan no mind as he spoke to Padmé without so much as a glance.

"We're leaving," he announced. And just in case he didn't hear, he spoke louder to the Gungan. "Jar Jar!"

Turning to leave, Padmé offered young Anakin a smile. "I was glad to have met you, Anakin."

The boy seemed reluctant to see her go. "I was glad to have met you too!"

R2 followed the others out of the shop.  _"So, where to now?"_

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THE STREETS OF MOS ESPA

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Qui-Gon was not happy. Neither was Jar Jar. Once the Jedi finished explaining the situation to his apprentice over the comlink, the Gungan expressed his concern over being robbed.

"Not likely," Qui-Gon assured him. "We have nothing of value, that's the problem."

_"So what are we going to do?"_  R2 asked.

Apparently, what they were going to do was get in trouble, courtesy of Jar Jar. They had no idea what happened. One minute he was walking beside them, the next he was about to be pounded to a pulp by a Dug named Sebulba.

But before the problem could escalate, their Gungan friend was saved by the very boy they had met at the junk shop. Whatever he said to the Dug, it made him back off, though it left a great deal of hostility behind.

After that, Anakin became their guide through the city. He even treated them to a type of fruit called a pallie. But upon selling the fruits, the old woman at the shop, a kindly elderly woman named Jira, warned young Anakin of an incoming sandstorm.

Anakin immediately turned to Qui-Gon. "Do you have shelter?"

The Jedi was quick to reassure the boy. "We'll head back to our ship."

But his comment did not have the desired affect. "Is it far?"

"It's on the outskirts," Padmé told him.

Concern could be heard in Anakin's voice. "You'll never reach the outskirts in time. Sandstorms can be very,  _very_  dangerous." Just then, his tone went from concerned to eager. "Come on, I'll take you to my place."

" _Thanks, we'd appreciate it,"_  R2 replied as he rolled along. He had no desire to get caught up in a sandstorm.

It turned out that both Jira and Anakin were right. A sandstorm was indeed on its way, and it was indeed dangerous. The wind howled about them, and the air clouded with sand that stung as it blew against them, tearing at clothes and exposed skin with relentless force. They were grateful for the safety of the modest household that Anakin led them into.

"Mom!" he called upon entering the house. "Mom, I'm home!"

Despite the simplicity of the small house, Jar Jar looked around in appreciation. "Oh, dis is cozy."

Anakin's mother, a woman in her forties, entered the room. The boy smiled up at her excitedly as he showed off his guests. "These are my friends, Mom."

" _Nice to meet you,"_  R2 beeped.

As Qui-Gon made introductions, Anakin was quick to turn his attention back to Padmé. "I'm building a droid. You wanna see?" In his eagerness to show off a bit, he grabbed the queen's hand. "Come on, I'll show you 3PO."

" _Another droid?"_  R2 asked, as he followed the two of them.  _"I'd like to see this. You built it yourself?"_  He received no answer though as he made his way into the back room. _"I wonder what kind of droid it is. Maybe we can be friends."_

Anakin was busy pulling the covers back to reveal his creation. The unfinished droid lay deactivated at the moment, bare of any coverings, one eye lying nearby on the workbench.

"Isn't he great?" Anakin asked eagerly, anxious for his guest's reaction. "He's not finished yet."

"He's wonderful," Padmé replied, genuinely impressed.

R2 was impressed too as he looked at the incomplete robot.  _"Oh, a protocol droid?"_  he observed.

Completely oblivious to the astromech droid, Anakin's complete attention was on the disguised queen as he confirmed R2's suspicions. "You really like him? He's a protocol droid to help Mom. Watch!"

He activated the droid, and it sat up at once. After a brief issue where the awakened droid was unable to see, Anakin quickly popped the missing eye into its socket. With his sight restored, the protocol droid turned to greet them. "Hello, I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations."

Padmé grinned at Anakin in delight. "He's wonderful!"

Anakin was very obviously thrilled. Wanting to impress the girl further, he was quick to bring up his other accomplishments. "I'm building a Podracer."

R2 was once again surprised by the boy's skills.  _"A Podracer too? Wow."_  Working in that shop must have really paid off.

3PO, meanwhile, was attempting to walk, a feat made difficult without an outer covering. "I'm not sure this floor is entirely stable."

He waddled over to R2, who immediately greeted the protocol droid.  _"Greetings."_

3PO turned to the smaller droid. "Oh, hello. I'm not sure we've been introduced."

" _We haven't,"_  R2 replied.  _"I'm R2-D2."_

"R2-D2, a pleasure to meet you."

" _The same."_

"I am C-3PO, human, cyborg relations."

He couldn't resist anymore.  _"Um, do you realize you're naked?"_

3PO seemed taken aback. "I beg your pardon, but what do you mean 'naked'?"

" _You got no cover. Your parts are showing."_

"My parts are showing? Oh, goodness!"

R2 just laughed.

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DINNER AT ANAKIN'S

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"All slaves have a transmitter placed inside their bodies somewhere," Anakin's mother, Shmi, was explaining to her guests.

"I've been working on a scanner to try and find mine," Anakin was quick to tell them.

His mother continued as if there had been no interruption. "Any attempt to escape…"

"And they blow you up," the boy finished. "Boom!"

" _That's awful,"_  R2 growled.

Jar Jar agreed wholeheartedly. "How wude," he muttered, before doing something rather rude himself, shooting out his tongue to snatch a piece of fruit from the table, earning him a look from the others. "'Scuse me."

The conversation then took an interesting turn. It seemed that not only had young Anakin built a Podracer, he was also capable of riding one. This was exceptionally rare for humans, as the speed and need to react tended to exceed the reflexes a human was capable of unless they had special training, such as Jedi training. Qui-Gon demonstrated an example of this by snatching Jar Jar's tongue out of the air when he attempting to snag another piece of fruit.

When the reward for winning the Podraces came up, it seemed an opportunity to get the money needed to buy a new hyperdrive had presented itself. After much deliberation, it was decided that Anakin would enter the race and win the money for his new friends. And that was how the group found themselves working together to put the finishing touches on Anakin's Podracer in time for the race.

They were eventually joined by a group of Anakin's friends consisting of two boys, Kitster and Seek, two girls, Amee and Melee, and a male Rodian named Wald. They laughed cheerfully as they greeted their friend, and Anakin looked up from his work to greet them in return.

At the other end of the Pod, R2 and 3PO worked together on one of the engines.  _"3PO, hurry up with that piece,"_  the smaller of the droids ordered.

The beeping language drew the attention of the newcomers, and Kitster pointed at him in amazement. "Wow, a real astro-droid!"

R2 paid him no mind as he focused on his work.  _"Come on, that part goes here."_

"How do you get so lucky?" Kitster asked.

Smirking, Anakin leaned over his Pod. "That isn't the half of it," he declared, puffing up a bit. "I'm entering in the Boonta race tomorrow."

Kitster's excitement quickly turned to disbelief as he looked at the Pod. "What? With this?"

"You're such a joker, Ani," said Wald in Huttese, and the other kids seemed to agree with him.

"You've been working on that thing for years," the older of the girls commented.

"It's never gonna run," Melee added.

Seek, however, didn't seem interested in talking about hopeless dreams. "Come on, let's go and play ball." Then, with a bit of mockery in his voice, he said, "Keep racing, Ani, you're gonna be bug squash."

Only Kitster remained behind as the other four took off. Though he had his doubts, he was willing to stand by his best friend regardless.

Even though there were four people working on the Pod, it might as well have been three for all the help the Gungan was. He'd already made several mistakes, and Anakin quickly anticipated another one and quickly threw a warning his way.

"Hey, Jar Jar, keep away from those energy binders. If your hand gets caught in the beam, it's gonna go numb for hours."

Appreciative of the warning, Jar Jar bent down to pick up the tool he dropped, and promptly got his  _head_  caught in the beam. With a yelp, he jumped away, but was suddenly unable to feel anything above his neck.

"WHOA! My tung ist stuch! My tung."

Completely numb in the face, his speech was even more garbled than before. His tongue hung out of his mouth, yet he wasn't even aware of it as he realized his mistake. But, unable to do anything about it, he began looking for the tool he had dropped.

"Where ist…? Where is da rech? Oh, dere ist."

Spotting it in the Pod's engine, he reached for it, and immediately got his hand stuck. "Hey! Uh oh! I'm stuch!"

As the Gungan struggled to pull his arm free, the two droids looked on in wonder, unable to believe that anyone could be such a klutz.

"You know," said 3PO, "I find that Jar Jar creature to be a little… odd."

" _A little odd?"_  R2 exclaimed.  _"He's_ very _odd."_

Taking notice of the unfortunate creature, Padmé went to help get his hand free before the engines ignited. Even that proved to be a feat as the Gungan waved his arms about, spouting more gibberish.

" _See,"_  R2 muttered.

"You're quite right," 3PO agreed, "he's very odd indeed."

" _Yes, he is."_

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THE DAY OF THE BOONTA RACE

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The day of the race finally came. There was a great deal of activity going around. Qui-Gon waited for Anakin and the others to arrive as he and Watto went over the finishing touches for their arrangement in entering Anakin in the race. And as the conversation moved along, it took an interesting turn.

Watto, it seemed had placed a bet on who he thought would win the race. He was putting his money on Sebulba, the very Dug that Jar Jar had had a run in with a few days ago. Upon learning this, Qui-Gon did some quick thinking and arranged his own bet with the Toydarian. And with he utmost confidence Watto accepted.

As the others arrived, the Toydarian couldn't resist throwing a mocking comment to Anakin. "Better stop your friend's betting," he declared in Huttese, "or I'll end up owning him too."

Anakin gave the junk dealer a strange look and glanced at Qui-Gon. "What'd he mean by that?"

Unconcerned, the Jedi dodged the question. "I'll tell you later," he said, then turned to greet the boy's mother. "Good morning."

A short distance away, R2 was telling 3PO about the adventures he'd had as an astromech droid, ending with why they had come to Tatoonie.  _"And so we need to repair the hyperdrive."_

"Oh my," 3PO muttered, "space travel sounds rather perilous."

R2 would have smiled if he could have.  _"You should try it. It's a lot of fun."_

But the protocol droid seemed to think otherwise. "I can assure you, they will never get me onto one of those dreadful starships."

But as the group prepared for the race that would decide all of their futures, they were completely unaware of the DRK-1 probe droid scourging through the city looking for them to report to its master, a Sith Lord known as Darth Maul. The small black droid took no interest as the stands filled with beings of all shapes and sizes, ready for the race to begin.

Up high in the commentator's box, a two-headed alien creature named Fodesinbeed Annodue, Fode for the smaller head, Beed for the larger head, to address them individually.

Beed made the opening statement as the race got underway.  _"Greetings! We have perfect weather today for the Boonta classic. The most hazardous of all Podraces."_

"That's absolutely right," Fode agreed. "And a big turnout here. From all corners of the outer-rim territories. I see the contestants are making their way out onto the starting grid."

" _We've certainly got a lot of racers."_

"I see Ben Quadinaros from the Toong System."

" _And Gasgano in his new Ord Pedrovia."_

"Two time winner, Boles Roor."

" _By far the favorite today, reigning champion, Sebulba!"_

The crowd went crazy at the current champion's introduction, and the Dug completely ate it up, even throwing kisses to his fans.  _"Thank you!"_

Moving on, Fode continued the introductions. "And on the front row, inside pole position, Mawhonic! And that is Clegg Holdfast and his Voltec KT9 Wasp! And back again, it's the mighty Dud Bolt, with that incredible racing machine The Vulptereen 327. And hoping for a big win today, Ody Mandrell, with his record setting pit droid team. And a late entrée, young Anakin Skywalker, a local boy."

With the last of the introductions, the flag holders for the different systems walked out, and Fode was quick to point them out to the crowd. It was the moment they had all been waiting for. For some of them, it would be their final moments, and Shmi went over to her son to give a heartfelt plea for him to be careful. None of them saw Sebulba sneak over and sabotage the stabilizer. If any of the other racers caught this bit of cheating, they didn't care to stop it.

Of course, neither Fode nor Beed could begin the race without first paying tribute to their ruler, and the latter was happy to present him.  _"And entering the arena, his honor, our glorious host, Jabba the Hutt!"_

Jabba Desilijic Tiure and his female companion, Gardulla, entered the V.I.P. area as the stadium went wild, cheering for the obese gangster. The Hutt raised his arms, welcoming the praise as he prepared to signal the start of the race. "Welcome!" he declared in Huttese, skipping the pleasantries. "Begin the race!"

With that, the racers started up their engines. Now they eagerly waited for the gong to begin. Beed was quick to provide commentary.  _"And our racers have fired up their Pods."_

"Hey, it looks like everyone is clearing the field."

But while most of the crowd was anticipating a good show, others were not that eager for the carnage that was to follow.

"Oh, dis is gonna be messy," Jar Jar predicted, and immediately covered his eyes. "Me not watching."

" _Go!"_  R2 cheered.

A moment later, the gong was sounded, and the racers were off. Yet it seemed that Fate was against Anakin as his racer moved forward a few feet… and came to a complete stop.

"Oh, wait," said Fode, "little Skywalker has stalled."

_"What bad luck!"_  Wald cried, having come with Kitster to watch the race.

It seemed though that Anankin wasn't the only one having a bad start. "And it looks like Quadinaros is having engine trouble also," Fode acknowledged.

Like Anakin, the big-headed alien's Pod had also refused to move from the starting position. Unable to figure out the problem, he pounded his fists on the dashboard.  _"Start you trash heap!"_

But while poor Quadinaros was unable to get his working, Anakin seemed to fix the problem with his Pod, and quickly sped off.

Up ahead, the race was already getting hostile as Sebulba deliberately slammed his Pod into Mawhonic, who shook his fist at the Dug.  _"Hey!"_

Sebulba just shook his fist right back at the Gran.  _"Move it, slime ball!"_

A second collision sent Mawhonic's Pod slamming into the canyon wall, and just like that, the Gran was out of the race. Another one was lost in the cave the racers sped through, going up in a fiery explosion upon crashing into a stalactite. Further mayhem came forth as a group of Tusken Raiders, more commonly known as Sand People, took the opportunity to fire upon the unsuspecting racers.

Back at the starting line, Quadinaros was still trying to get his Pod working, fully aware that he was about to be lapped.  _"Why won't you start?!"_  he demanded, pounding on the dashboard once more.

In response, a portion of his Pod launched up into the air and exploded, thus ending any chance he may have had of racing.

The announcing winced for the poor alien. "Ooh, there goes Quadinaros's power coupling," Fode reported, truly feeling for the guy's bad luck.

" _Oh, come on!"_  Quadinaros shouted at his Pod. A moment later, the other racers went speeding past him.

" _In the lead is Sebulba!"_  Beed announced.  _"And now we're moving on to the second lap!"_

But as the other racers continued onward, Ody Mandrell came to a stop by his droids.  _"Quick, I need a repair. Hurry, hurry, come on!"_  His droids looked at each other, seemingly confused, and Mandrell slammed his fist on the dashboard in aggravation.  _"Will you come on?!"_

Obeying its master's request for speed, one of the droids wasn't paying attention, and was promptly sucked into the Pod's engine. Luck was on its side as it came flying out the other side, still intact, but the engine was completely shot.

" _Oh no,"_  Mandrell groaned, realizing he was no longer a part of this race.

Over by Anakin's section, C-3PO couldn't help but realize that his own master had not passed by yet. "Where is Master Anakin?"

" _He should be coming soon,"_  R2 told him.

And he was right. A few seconds later, the young boy went speeding by. Fode took note of this and provided commentary. "It looks like Skywalker is moving onto the field."

" _Yay, Ani!"_  Wald cheered as his friend sped by.

But R2 didn't want to celebrate too soon.  _"He's got two more circuits to go."_

"He has to complete 2 more circuits?" 3PO repeated. "Oh dear."

But those two remaining laps gave Anakin the time he needed to catch up with the others without having to worry about being run off the track. And as more and more racers dropped out of the race, it soon came down to him and his long time rival, Sebulba. And after a little mishap, he managed to pull ahead.

Upon seeing the boy get ahead of him, Sebulba became enraged.  _"I'll catch you!"_

And catch him he did, but only because the stabilizer he had disconnected from Anakin's Pod finally broke loose. And while at first it seemed that he was finished, he managed to improvise and was in the race once more, quickly closing the gap between him and the cheating Dug.

"He's catching Sebulba!" Fode cried in disbelief.

_"He's closing in fast!"_  Beed confirmed.

Sebulba became aware of this as well.  _"You are so annoying!"_

When Anakin came close to passing him, Sebulba repeatedly slammed his Pod into his. After one particular collision, their Pods latched onto each other.

Fode was unable to believe what he was seeing. "That little human being is out of his mind!"

" _They're pods are caught!"_  Beed declared.

"They're side by side!"

" _Who will win?"_

The danger of the situation was apparent to both the human and the Dug as they tried to separate their Pods. Anakin paid close attention to where they were connected, taking notice the instant they came apart. With a burst of speed, he shot forward. Sebulba cried out as his Pod spun out of control, and he crashed to the ground, his racer completely destroyed.

As his seat came to a stop, he slammed his fist against what was left of his destroyed Pod.  _"Shit!"_

With no one else left in the race, Anakin had a clear path to the finish line. At only ten years old, he became the youngest winner ever of the Boonta Eve race.

" _He won! He won!"_  Wald cheered as he and Kitster jumped up and down in celebration.

Beside them, the two droids were equally as thrilled _. "He did it! He did it! He really did it!"_  R2 shouted, dancing around happily.

3PO was so proud of his master. "I can't believe it."

"The crowds are going nuts!" Fode shouted as he and Beed began cheering as well.

But not everyone was happy about this victory. In the stands, Watto was completely flabbergasted.  _"He won? How could he win?"_

And yet there were others that couldn't care either way. Jabba had actually fallen asleep, and it took his majordomo discreetly tapping him to wake him up.  _"What? Oh, good racing,"_  he muttered, wondering what had happened.

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WITH DARTH MAUL

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A great deal happened after the race. After several business transactions, Anakin sold the Pod for a good deal of cash that would help out his mother, and was freed from slavery thanks to Qui-Gon's bet with Watto. And after a very serious conversation between mother and son, it was decided that Anakin would go with Qui-Gon and his companions to be trained as a Jedi. And so, after a heartfelt goodbye, Shmi saw her son off to fulfill his destiny.

But as Qui-Gon and Anakin made their way back to the newly repaired ship, they were spotted by the probe droid Darth Maul had sent to find the Jedi. It was quick to return to its master's side and report its findings.  _"They're on the outskirts."_

It was all the Sith Lord needed to hear. Without a word, he climbed onto his speeder and took off, going much faster than Qui-Gon and Anakin were capable of going on foot.

He caught up when the two humans were a short distance from the ship. Qui-Gon sensed the approaching hostility and whirled around. He shouted for Anakin to drop, and the boy did so without question as the Sith Lord whizzed by, not caring about the child.

A moment later, a vicious lightsaber fight broke out between the two as Anakin followed Qui-Gon's plan to get to the ship. This had been the right call, as the Jedi quickly realized that he was outmatched by the mysterious warrior.

It was thanks to Anakin following his orders that he was able to make it out of there alive. As the ship flew past, he leapt onto the platform and hurried inside, leaving a very unsatisfied Sith Lord behind.

" _Close call,"_  R2 stated as the exhausted Jedi dropped down beside him. Anakin and Obi-Wan rushed into the room a moment later.

"Are you alright?" the former asked worriedly.

Still trying to catch his breath, the Jedi sat up. "I think so."

Though concerned for his master, Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon was stronger than this and asked a more pressing question. "What was it?"

Qui-Gon wished he had an answer. "I'm not sure, but it was well trained in the Jedi arts."

" _Jedi arts?"_  R2 repeated, not liking the sound of that.

"My guess is," the Jedi continued, "it was after the queen."

Like the astromech, Anakin didn't like what he was hearing. "What are we going to do about it?"

Qui-Gon let out a sigh. As a Jedi master who had trained others before Obi-Wan, he knew that a Padawan's lessons must begin right away, and he gave the proper response. "We shall be patient." Then, to avoid any further questions, he decided to make the introductions. "Anakin Skywalker, meet Obiwan Kenobi."

Anakin turned to the second man. "Hi," he said, shaking the younger Jedi's hand.

" _Introductions!"_  R2 announced happily.

"You're a Jedi too?" Anakin asked in admiration.

" _He certainly is."_

"Pleased to meet you."

Obi-Wan didn't speak, but he smiled at the boy, nodding in greeting. Qui-Gon smiled, glad to have the two meet. He hoped his apprentice would come to see what he did in the boy. He was certain of it, this meeting had been orchestrated by the Force itself. As all Jedi knew, there was no such thing as coincidences or luck, only the Force in constant motion.

" _And thus, our team grows larger still,"_  R2 declared.  _"The more the merrier."_

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PREPARING TO RETURN TO NABOO

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A lot happened in such a short time. Yet not much was to the group's benefit. Upon reaching Coruscant, none of the meetings had gone the way anyone had hoped. Padmé once again resumed her role as the queen, losing her handmaiden disguise as she appeared before the senate in her Naboo royalty getup. But, to her dismay, the Senate was unwilling to assist her in removing the Trade Federation from her home world without following proper protocol.

Knowing that her people were suffering under the rule of the Trade Federation, she gave in to Senator Sheev Palaptine's drastic measure to move for a vote of no confidence in Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum to elect a new leader that would not let these atrocities continue.

As for Qui-Gon, he requested a meeting of the Jedi Council to have Anakin trained as a Jedi. But while the Council did indeed acknowledged that the Force was indeed incredibly strong with the boy, they decided that he was too old to be trained. An essential part of training new Jedi was to start very early on before the child grew too much as a person and grew attachments, thus enabling the Council to mold them into a warrior and guide them down the right path so they would not fall prey to the Dark Side.

Just like with Amidala in the Senate, Qui-Gon too was forced to make a difficult choice to do what he felt was right. Thus, he declared that he would take Anakin as his apprentice and would train the boy himself. And while he truly did feel that Obi-Wan was ready to face the trials of becoming a Jedi Master, the circumstances were not the best, and he ended up unintentionally yet greatly insulting his apprentice.

While things concerning Anakin were set aside for later, events in the Senate continued to escalate. On a positive note, Senator Palpatine became one of the potential candidates for Supreme Chancellor. And while Padmé had faith that he would help her cause, she feared it would be too late for her people. Duty bound, she decided to return to Naboo and be with her people where she could actually do something for them rather than remain in hiding. None of them even suspected that it was in fact Palpatine, the unknown Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, who was orchestrating all events in accordance to his plan to rule the galaxy.

Thus it was decided that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would go with the queen to protect her as she returned to Naboo. However, a bit of animosity had grown between the two after what happened at the Jedi Council, and the two ended up in a heated discussion.

"The council will decide Anakin's future," the older Jedi told his apprentice, bringing the conversation to a close. "That will be enough for you. Now get on board."

" _Ouch,"_  R2 muttered, having been eavesdropping.

Properly reprimanded, Obi-Wan headed for the ship as Anakin inquired what midi-chlorians were, and Qui-Gon attempted to explain how they were microscopic life forms that lived inside all living creatures and allowed Jedi to communicate with the Force.

Shortly afterwards, Sabé, once again pretending to be the queen, appeared once more with Padmé at her side, once again disguised as a mere handmaiden. She exchanged a few words with Qui-Gon as they boarded the ship, the Jedi promising to protect her.

"Weesa goen home!" Jar Jar shouted joyfully as they boarded the ship.

Anakin smiled at the astromech droid. "Come on, R2."

_"Let's do this!"_  the droid cried eagerly.

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GUNGAN SAFE HAVEN

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While thus far, Sabé, still believed to be the true queen by the Jedi, Jar Jar, and Anakin, had done very little on their adventure, it was on route to Naboo that she presented a very interesting idea. After an offhanded comment by Jar Jar of how the Gungans had a grand army, she decided to attempt to form an alliance with the amphibious creatures.

Unfortunately, the Gungan city was deserted, having been discovered by the Trade Federation's droid army. But while Panaka feared the Gungans were all killed, Jar Jar was enthusiastic that they had instead retreated to their sacred place for protection.

This was how they found themselves amongst the Gungan race, pleading with the Gungan leader, Boss Nass. It was in this moment that Padmé stepped forward and revealed her true identity.

" _I_  am Queen Amidala," she said with all the authority of a queen.

While Jar Jar, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin were all caught off guard by this revelation, R2 inwardly smiled.  _"Yup, it's her. We pulled the old switcheroo. Good plan, huh?"_

Padmé turned to Sabé. "This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard. I am sorry for my deception, but it was necessary to protect myself."

From there, she gave a speech followed by a desperate plea to the Gungan ruler. Boss Nass considered this carefully. He had always felt that the Naboo believed themselves to be superior to the Gungans, yet hearing the queen herself begging for his assistance, he felt his animosity towards her and her people melt away, and, with great joy, he agreed to the alliance.

And so they began to prepare for war. Gungans and Nubian escapees all rallied together as plans were made, and, surprisingly, Boss Nass not only undid Jar Jar's banishment, he decided to make the former Gungan exile a general in the army. Jar Jar's reaction was rather humorous as he was so overwhelmed by honor and fear that he promptly passed out, causing the Gungan leader to laugh as he joined the Nubians to go over the plan.

"The Federation army is also much larger than we thought," Pananka was saying, "and much stronger." He glanced at Padmé, no longer having to pretend she was anything other than royalty. "Your Highness, this is a battle I don't think we can win."

Padmé did not deny this. "The battle is a diversion. The Gunags must draw the droid army away from the cities. R2."

" _I'm on it,"_  the droid replied, and projected a hologram.

Padmé then presented her plan to the others. It was a good plan that even impressed Qui-Gon, yet Obi-Wan felt the need to point out the danger of what would happen if the viceroy for the Trade Federation would escape.

"Well that is why we must not fail to get the viceroy," Padmé replied, undeterred. "Everything depends on it."

R2 looked around at the grim but determined faces.  _"We've got one shot."_

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THE BATTLE AT THEED

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For the most part, everything seemed to be going as planned. While the Gungans lured the droid army away from Theed, the Nubian soldiers made to take over the palace. To aid the Gungans against the droids, they planned to destroy the Trade Federation control ship. Unlike other droids, the Trade Federations army droids ran on autopilot. Without the battle station to control them, they would all shut down.

Gaining ground, the Nubians managed to get into a bunker where several ship were stored. Qui-Gon shouted for Anakin to find cover as lasers flew around the room. Having been sticking close to the boy, R2 quickly made his way over to one of the ships and was lifted into it.

" _Going up."_  Knowing that the ship's shields would provide sufficient protection from the lasers flying around, he called to Anakin.  _"Hey, Ani, over here!"_

Though he couldn't' understand the droid, Anakin had been of similar mind, and he quickly climbed into the pilot seat.

" _Careful, Ani,"_  R2 told him.  _"Stay down."_

The battle continued to escalate, but with most of the droids away from the city, the Nubians were slowly gaining victory over the few that remained.

" _Nice job,"_  R2 muttered as he watched another droid go down. It didn't bother him that his own kind were being destroyed. Family was more than what you were made of.

When the last of the droids fell, the group prepared to move on. Eager to help, Anakin began to get out of the ship. "Hey, wait for me!"

"Anakin, stay where you are," Qui-Gon ordered. "You will be safe there."

"But I-"

"Stay in that cockpit!"

The Jedi's tone left no room for argument, and so Anakin reluctantly sank back into his seat.

That's when the real trouble started. The doors opened to reveal none other than Darth Maul. Qui-Gon immediately recognized the Sith Lord he had met on Tatoonie, as well as his murderous intent.

"We'll handle this," he said, referring to himself and Obi-Wan.

Padmé didn't argue as she led the others in a different direction. "We'll take the long way."

As the two Jedi stepped forward to face the Sith Lord, the situation became even more grave. R2 picked up on it as three droidekas came rolling into the room.

" _Trouble!"_  he shouted, drawing Anakin's attention.

As the three droids uncurled and projected their shields, they began firing on Padmé and the Nubian soldiers.

" _They're destroyers!"_  R2 declared, using the nicknames the droidekas had received through reputation.

Anakin's concerned gaze landed on Padmé as she ducked for cover. "We gotta do something, R2!"

He looked towards Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but saw that they were unable to help as Darth Maul pulled out a double-sided lightsaber, allowing him to face both Jedi at the same time.

" _Fire the guns at them,"_  R2 suggested. He had plugged himself into the starfighter's computer system, allowing his words to appear on the control panel for Anakin to read.

"I'm trying to," the boy replied, having already thought of that. "I don't know where the trigger is."

He began pressing buttons at random. One of them caused the ship to spring into action and it began hovering in the air.

" _No, that was the launch button!"_  R2 declared.  _"Look, we're moving."_

"Oops, wrong one," Anakin muttered, and tried again. "Maybe it's this one." The top closed over him. "Nope." Then his eyes landed on it. "Wait, here it is."

Now that he saw it, he realized how obvious it was, but he had been panicking before and hadn't noticed it.

Wasting no time, he began firing upon the droidekas. The much stronger lasers broke right the droids' shields, completely blowing them apart.

"Yeah!" Anakin cheered as he took out the droids.

With the path cleared, Padmé and the others continued on their way, unaware that it was Anakin who had just saved them as the ship rolled right out of the bunker.

"Ah! It's on automatic pilot!" Anakin cried as he realized the ship was moving without him controlling it.

" _Looks like we're going for a ride,"_  said R2 as the ship rose up into the air.

Realizing there was nothing he could do, Anakin quickly put on a helmet. "Try to override it."

R2 immediately got to work.  _"Alright, I'm on it. I hope this works."_

The ship rose higher and higher, into the blackness of space. Anakin kept his hand on the trigger in case they ran into any enemy fighters while R2 proceeded to turn off the autopilot.

_"Any idea where the others are?"_  he asked, having discovered that the autopilot was searching for the other ships and bringing them there,

Anakin spotted them right away. "Look, there they are. That's where the autopilot is taking us."

As they got closer to the other ships, fire from the battle station flew around them. One of the Nubian starfighters was hit and exploded in a ball of fire and metal.

" _Heads up!"_  R2 cried as a laser came a little too close for comfort.

Anakin saw it and was careful to avoid the red beams. "This is tense!"

Yet as the enemy fighters care flying in all around them, he realized the danger they faced of not being able to control the ship. As far as he could see, there was no manual override for the autopilot, and he didn't have time to look for it. "R2, get us off this autopilot; it's gonna get us both killed."

" _I almost have it…"_  the droid replied.  _"Ok, you're good."_

"You did it, R2!" Anakin cheered, and immediately took control.

R2 wondered if he had just made a mistake. Anakin was good, he knew that, but flying a starfighter was different from driving a Podracer.  _"We should go back."_

"Go back?" the boy repeated. "Qui-Gon told me to stay in this cockpit. So that's what I'm gonna do."

If he could, R2 would have rolled his eyes. As a droid, he knew all about loopholes, as it was the only way a droid was able to bypass specific programming. It seemed to work just as well for organic life forms too it seemed.

The fighters were all over them. Anakin decided to try spinning through the air, but it proved futile as the enemy stayed on their tail.

" _We're in trouble!"_  the astromech droid declared.

"I know we're in trouble!" Anakin called back. "Just hang on!"

It wasn't like R2 had much of a choice. And while he knew he could be reckless at times, this was just plain crazy. Adventure was all well and good, but they were going to die if they didn't get out of here soon.

And it seemed it would be happening sooner rather than later as a laser finally found its mark, and the ship began spinning out of control.

_"WHOA!"_  R2 wailed.

"We're hit, R2!" Anakin unnecessarily reported.

" _Watch out!"_

He tried to stop the ship, but couldn't get control as it hurtled directly towards the hull. Pulling back on the thruster bar, he cut off the power and drifted into a long slide. He managed to regain control, but it was too late to turn back, and the starfighter flew straight into the opening at the battleship's center.

_"Stop the ship! Stop it!"_

"I'm trying to stop! I'm trying to stop!" Anakin insisted.

He put the thrusters in reverse while dodging transports, tanks, fighters, and stacks of supplies. It began skidding across the floor, and finally came to a stop.

R2 was relieved, but instantly realized where they were.  _"We've got to get out of here."_

"Everything's overheated," Anakin replied. They weren't gong anywhere just yet.

Not liking that, the droid began looking around, spotting several other droids rushing towards them, guns drawn.  _"Troubles coming."_

Looking up, Anakin saw the droids approaching. "Oops. This is not good."

As Anakin ducked down in his seat, R2 set to work, trying to get the ship up and running again. The battle droids soon surrounded the ship, demanding that they come out. With some quick rewiring, the system lights changed from red to green.

_"Systems are go,"_  he said.

Anakin glanced at the dashboard. "Yes, we have power. Shields up."

With the ship up and running again, the shields powered back on, protecting them from the weaker lasers the droids' blasters produced. Lasers bounced off the ship as the beams failed to penetrate the starfighter's shields.

"Take this!" Anakin cried, firing much more powerful beams at the battle droids. "And this! Whoa!"

It turned out that the second series of shots he fired weren't lasers, but torpedoes. They flew past the droids he was aiming at and flew across the room, striking something in the distance that began a chain reaction, causing a series of explosions to go off and spread throughout the battle station.

"Oops," Anakin muttered.

Whatever he had hit, it hadn't been his intended target. Unbeknownst to him, his torpedoes had just taken out the main reactor. Whether by accident or by the will of the Force, the destruction of the battle station had commenced.

Recognizing the danger, Anakin was quick to get the starfighter back in the air. "Lets get out of here."

" _No argument here,"_  R2 muttered as the ship took off, plowing through the battle droids in its path.

Even with the danger at hand, Anakin had to admit that he was having the time of his life. "Now  _this_  is pod-racing."

Behind him, R2 couldn't help but smile inwardly as he too felt the thrill.  _"It sure is."_

As the explosions grew and spread throughout the battle station, Anakin ad R2 made for the exit. It was a close call, but they finally flew out of the opening they had come through as the Trade Federation's battle station blew apart.

Down on Naboo, the battle droids all shut down. The battle was over.

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THE BATTLE AT THEED

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Even with the victory of the Trade Federation defeated, there was still a great deal of loss. One of the greatest was the loss of Qui-Gon. He had fallen to the mysterious Sith Lord that had confronted him and his apprentice. And though Obi-Wan had managed to slay his master's killer, there was nothing he could do to save the Jedi. All he could do was accept Qui-Gon's final wish to train Anakin.

And Obi-Wan had decided that he would do just that. He would fulfill his master's last request, even without the Jedi Council's permission if need be. Not just because he made a promise, but because after he had learned of what Anakin had done, he too now believed that the boy was indeed the prophesized one who would destroy the Sith and restore balance to the Force.

It seemed though, that he did not need to worry about defying the Council. After they heard of Anakin's heroics, they too had a change of heart and agreed that Anakin would be trained as a Jedi, even against the judgment of Master Yoda himself. While the oldest and wisest of Jedi did indeed acknowledge the likelihood that Anakin was the Chosen One in the prophecy, he feared that there would be trouble with the boy's training.

All the same, the Council had overruled Yoda and decreed that Anakin would be a Jedi.

But today was not to be a day for training. It was a day to say goodbye. Qui-Gon's body lay on the funeral pyre, burning brightly. It was always sad to see a loved one go. The mighty Jedi had become one with the Force, and would watch over them along with all those that died. From the smallest most insignificant life form, to the largest and wisest of creatures, they all became one with the Force one day, even droids, all watching over their loved ones and waiting for the day they would join them within the Force as well.

It was little consolation.

" _Goodbye, Qui-Gon…"_  R2 whispered as he stood next to the sniveling Jar Jar.

Looking away from the fire, Obi-Wan turned at Anakin, who glanced at the Jedi with a lost look on his face. "What will happen to me now?"

Obi-Wan was quick to ease the boy's concerns. "The Council has granted me permission to train you. You will be a Jedi, I promise." He said it with as much determination as he could, so that both Anakin, and Qui-Gon, wherever he was, would know without doubt that his promise would be fulfilled.

As they turned to watch the burning body once more, Yoda and his fellow Jedi Council member, Mace Windu were in deep discussion over Qui-Gon's killer.

"There's no doubt, the mysterious warrior was a Sith," Windu told the elderly Jedi.

Yoda grunted his acknowledgement. "Always two there are," he said, referring to the Rule of Two that had been ordained by the Sith Lord, Darth Bane. "No more, no less. A master, and an apprentice."

Windu knew the Sith law good and well, but there was still cause for concern. "But which was destroyed, the master, or the apprentice?"

They could only hope for the master to have been the one to meet his end. An apprentice with incomplete training would be far less a threat, who may even leave the ways of the Force behind without their master to guide them. It was the best they could hope for. It was troubling enough to find out that the Sith were not extinct as they had believed for over a thousand years, but instead in hiding, patiently waiting for the chance to come out into the open once more. The thought of there being a master Sith Lord was far more unnerving.

Unfortunately for them, it was the apprentice, not the master, that had fallen. And Darth Sidious stood just a few feet away, watching as the body of the Jedi burned. With the loss of Darth Maul, he would need a new apprentice. But the loss had been worth it for him to have gained the position of power he was now in. Having been voted the new Supreme Chancellor, he was now the most powerful man in the galaxy. And he didn't even need to take this power by force; they had simply handed it over to him.

And he already had his eyes on a new apprentice. Like the Jedi, he too saw the untapped power young Anakin possessed. The boy would make a fine Sith with the proper guidance. He would let the Jedi hone the boy's skills, meanwhile, he would do what he could to influence him from the sides until he was ready to truly recruit him.

The Dark Side of the Force was strong, and it would allow him to bend the boy to his will. Since the beginning of time, the Dark and Light Sides of the Force always opposed each other, trying to lure people down their path, whether anyone knew it or not. Especially those strong with the Force.

And Sidious was very strong with the Force. He carried the will of all the Sith Lords of the past. He could feel them within Chaos, the dwelling place of all the wicked souls in the Force, tempting the living towards the Dark Side. They were whispering to him through the mid-chlorians, telling him how they would have their revenge, that they would watch as the Light Side fell and the Sith became the rulers of the galaxy. And young Anakin would be their tool to get the job done.

But not yet. For now they had to wait, patiently. They had already waited over a thousand years. What was a few more?

In the meantime, he would set his sights on someone else. There was another Jedi in the order that was growing discontent with the way things were. Sidious saw it as an opportunity. He would lure this Jedi to the Dark Side while he waited for young Anakin to grow and learn more. Yes, Count Dooku would be a fine addition to his cause.

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THE CELEBRATION AT THEED

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It was a day of celebration. The Naboo was free from the Trade Federation's control, and the Nubians and the Gungans had an alliance of peace.

As the Gungans made their way to the palace where Padmé, once again in her queen getup, waited. Anakin stood by his new master's side. He wore the clothes of a Jedi Padawan, his hair cut to fit the standard apprentice style.

_"Whoopi!"_  R2 cheered beside him.

But even amongst the celebration, Jar Jar's clumsiness was still present, his foot getting caught on his steed's reigns as he tried to jump down. It seemed that some things would never change.

But Boss Nass paid him no mind as he walked up the stairs and Padmé handed him a symbol of their people's alliance. The Gungan leader graciously accepted it, holding the golden orb up for them all to see as he declared, "Peace!"

Jar Jar cheered along with everyone else. Padmé took a moment to glance at Anakin, who gave her a smile, and she smiled back.

Not seeing the exchange, R2 was busy cheering.  _"What a great day!"_

Obi-Wan saw it though, and it caused a sliver of worry to run through him. He knew of Anakin's crush on the queen, and it concerned him. He would have to break it to the boy that love was forbidden for a Jedi. Emotional attachment to a person or thing was to be avoided. They led to selfish thoughts and fear of losing what they cared for. As Yoda had stated, fear led to anger, anger led to hate, hate led to suffering. That was the way to the Dark Side.

And Yoda had sensed much fear in the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I hope you get the general idea of what I'm trying to do with this story. Did I do a good job of recreating the scenes, filling in the gaps between scene changes, and providing background? And what about the translations? Can you not see them saying these things? For the Podrace scenes, I used the Star Wars manga to get a lot of the translations with Fode and Beed, which provided an actual translation for what Beed was saying. The book helped too, but not as much. Next week, I'll have "Attack of the Clones", and then so on.)


	2. Episode II: Attack of the Clones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: We're moving on to Episode II. You know, this is turning out to be a lot harder and a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be. Not only do I have to watch the movies to find untranslated dialogue, I have to come up with something to say that matches the length of the dialogue, and then write out the entire scene to get even the dialogue that is understood right. It took a lot of rewinding and rewatching. If DVDs could wear out, I'd be concerned. Yikes, what am I going to do for the original trilogy that I still have on VHS? I'm not too found with the "improvements" the DVDs and Blurays have.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Episode II: Attack of the Clones**

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ON ROUTE TO CORUSCANT

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The two ships came in for a landing on the planet known as Coruscant. Perhaps the crowning jewel of the galaxy, the entire planet was one giant city that had spread across the globe. It was here that the senators of the galaxy met and discussed issues.

Aboard one of those ships was none other than Senator Padmé Naberrie Amidala. Formerly the queen of the planet of Naboo, after her term as queen expired, she became a senator for the Republic, and she had business in this great global city.

Yet at the request of Captain Gregar Typho, Padmé had switched places with her handmaiden, Cordé, out of fear of an assassination attempt. And so, disguised as a pilot, Padmé climbed out of her ship as her astromech droid, R2-D2, looked around the currently fog-covered platform.

_"Good to be back,"_  he commented, communicating through a series of beeps. He too was lowered down from the ship.  _"It's certainly been a while."_

Joining the disguised Padmé, Captain Typho removed his helmet as he watched the second ship lowered its ramp and Cordé and the others exited the ship. "We made it," he said, smiling in relief. "I guess I was wrong, there was no danger at all."

Unfortunately, he spoke to soon. For the instant Cordé stepped off the ramp, the ship went up in a fiery explosion. With a cry of despair, Padmé rushed to her faithful handmaiden and friend's side, but there was nothing to be done. The woman passed on in the senator's arms, and the one guilty of the crime was nowhere to be seen.

Overcome with despair, Padmé stared down at her friend in horror. "I shouldn't have come back."

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PADMÉ'S SLEEPING CHAMBERS

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R2 had powered down for the night, yet even in sleep mode, his sensors were still active in case anyone should try and bring harm to his mistress, who slept as peacefully as could be after the loss of her friend and the attempt on her life.

Surely the assassin would have realized that a decoy had been used at this point and would make another attempt on her life, and the little blue droid was deeply worried for his mistress. But knowing that the now 20 year-old Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker, was in just the next room keeping watch also helped reduce R2's nerves.

But that changed when R2's sensors picked up movement, and he immediately activated.  _"What's that?"_  He turned on his light.  _"Is anyone there? Anyone? Is someone…?"_

He looked around the room, seeing nothing. His sensors no longer picked up any traces of movement either. It had been a minor sensory trip anyway. Odds were, he detected something passing by the window.

" _Must be interference,"_  he concluded, powering down once more.

But as it turned out, there was something else. Two things actually. A pair of very venomous creatures called kouhuns. And the moment the astromech droid powered down, they continued their way to the sleeping senator.

They may very well have been the cause of Padmé's death had Anakin and his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, not detected their presence through the power of the Force and come charging into the room. Without a moment's hesitation, Anakin leapt up onto the bed, lightsaber drawn, and sliced the intruders in half.

Obi-Wan's attention was drawn elsewhere. His gaze landed on the droid outside the window that had released the two deadly kouhuns into the room. As the droid made its escape, Obi-Wan wasted no time leaping out the window and grabbing hold of the droid.

He realized right away that this may not have been the best plan, as he now hung countless stories in the air as the droid flew along. The small robot did what it could to try and shake him off, even almost crashing into a Dug riding in a taxi.

" _Jedi nuisance,"_  the Dug grumbled as the droid and the Jedi whizzed by.

As the droid returned to its master, the bounty hunter known as Zam Wesell realized it had a passenger. Taking aim, she fired upon the droid, blasting it apart, and sending Obi-Wan falling towards the streets of Coruscant.

But the Force was with him, and it was with Anakin, guiding the young Jedi towards his master, allowing him to catch Obi-Wan before he hit the ground. But at this point, Zam Wesell had already fled from her location in a speeder. Anakin gave chase, and the two speeders buzzed across the skies.

The chase eventually made its way to the ground and became a game of Hide-and-Seek as Zam Wesell attempted to hide in a bar. Yet she underestimated a Jedi's sense, and, upon trying to sneak up on Obi-Wan, she ended up with a painful burn cut on her hand, and was dragged out onto the streets.

Zam Wesell was no fool. She knew that if you were caught that you never talked. It was a code that all bounty hunters followed. However, she was heavily influenced by the will of the Force cast upon her by Anakin as he demanded to know who had sent her to kill the woman he had loved since he was a small boy.

With her mind clouded, Zam Wesell opened her mouth to name Jango Fett as the man who hired her on behalf of Nute Gunray, the viceroy of the Trade Federation, seeking revenge on Padmé for his defeat ten years ago during the invasion of Naboo. Yet before she could utter Jango's name, the very bounty hunter, who had been watching close by, fired a saberdart upon realizing that she was about to sell him out.

As her disguise faded away, revealing her true Clawdite heritage, she uttered her last words.  _"Bounty hunter slime ball…"_

And just like that, the two Jedi's only lead to finding Padmé's assassin was lost.

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THE RETREAT TO NABOO

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With a second attempt on Padmé's life, and the loss of the only living lead, it was decided that Padmé would return to her home planet of Naboo under Anakin's protection while Obi-Wan investigated the assassination attempt, the only clue being the saberdart that killed Zam Wesell.

Anakin had felt a little put out by this, as an investigation had been his idea to begin with before Obi-Wan shot it down, but he was willing to let it go at the thought of being able to spend time with the woman he had loved for the past 10 years.

Though Padmé was always brave and strong, in the presence of the young Jedi, she felt comfortable enough to speak what she truly felt about the situation as they made their way to the ship that would take them to Naboo. "Suddenly, I'm afraid."

Feeling no need to lie, and in an attempt to reassure her, Anakin spoke true. "This is my first assignment on my own. I am too." As Padmé shared a look with him, he attempted to bring humor to the situation by glancing at the droid following close behind. "Don't worry, we have R2 with us."

His attempts brought a laugh and a genuine smile to the senator's face as R2 threw in his own humors response.  _"Yup, just leave it to me."_

And so the three boarded the ship and were soon on route to Naboo. It wasn't anything classy, as they were meant to be undercover, but the passengers were treated fairly, and even served a meal. But that meal was exclusive to organic life it seemed, as the serving droid made an ironic statement when R2 went to get Padmé her lunch.

"Hey, you, no droids."

R2 would have rolled his eyes if he had any, but instead vocally made his displeasure known.  _"Screw you."_

"Get out of here!" the serving droid told him.

Having obtained what he wanted anyway, R2 headed back to the table.  _"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."_

He hoped the serving droid was simply having a bad day. Working in a place like this probably wasn't that rewarding. He was very lucky to be in a position where he was appreciated and able to work for those he cared for.

" _Here you go,"_  he said, placing the food on Padmé's plate.

She gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you, R2."

" _You're welcome,"_  he replied, grateful for the show of gratitude that so few organics showed to droids.

Then he sat back and listened in on the conversation taking place between the two humans. It took an interesting turn as the topic of love and how it related to Jedi was brought up. R2 picked up on how the mood changed as Anakin attempted to convey his feelings to the girl sitting across from him.

It was a sensitive topic, as love was forbidden for a Jedi to avoid temptation and attachment, and Padmé quickly became uneasy with the subject, letting the matter drop. Anakin seemed slightly put out, but did not speak on it further. R2 observed this interaction with interest, curious to see where things would go from here.

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ON ROUTE TO KAMINO

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Obi-Wan's investigation, though having hit a few bumps, was showing progress. Thanks to the sources of a reliable friend, and the imaginative suggestion of a child training to be a Jedi, he was now on route to the mysterious planet known as Kamino. Regardless of the planet missing from Coruscant's archives, the home of the cloning race of Kaminoans was right where it should be.

"There it is, R4," Obi-Wan observed. "Our missing planet, Kamino."

The red astromech droid riding with him, R4-P17, could see that for himself.  _"Doesn't look missing to me."_

But while the planet wasn't missing, it wasn't the nicest place to visit. Covered in water with the exception of several facilities, a never-ending downpour rained down on them. R4 had no issue about being left in the rain as he hoped his master's investigation was fruitful.

But Obi-Wan's visit ended up providing more questions than answers. It seemed his friend that had provided him with the clue he need to find this planet had been right about the Kaminoans being cloners, and they had apparently been creating a clone army for the Republic for the past 10 years at the request of the deceased Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas.

Completely bewildered, but playing along, Obi-Wan got whatever information he could without making it obvious that he knew nothing of the situation. He eventually learned that the clones that would one day come to be known as Stormtroopers were cloned from a bounty hunter named Jango Fett.

The fact that Obi-Wan had come here seeking a bounty hunter sent off alarm bells. It couldn't be a coincidence. His Jedi training had taught him that there were no such things as coincidences; rather it was the Force's guidance. And so, he requested to meet this Jango Fett.

Arranging a meeting was no problem, and Obi-Wan was brought to the bounty hunter's apartment. A small boy, an unaltered clone according to the Kominoans, answered the door, and Obi-Wan's guide, Taun We, spoke the boy's name. "Boba, is your father here?"

The boy, Boba, nodded. "Yup."

He said nothing more, so Taun We persisted. "May we see him?"

Obi-Wan found the exchange unusual. Hadn't asking if the boy's father was in been enough of an indication that they wanted to see him? Had it been necessary to ask? It almost seemed like the boy was reluctant to let him in. But Boba did not oppose, and let them in as he informed his father that they had guests.

Upon meeting the bounty hunter, Obi-Wan found his suspicions growing as Taun We indicated that Jango had been away until recently. It seemed that Jango was equally as suspicious as the Jedi as the two exchanged words that had deeper mean than what Boba or Tuan We were capable of understanding.

When Obi-Wan inquired about Sifo-Dyas, Jango spoke to his 'son' in a language Obi-Wn could not identify.  _"Boba, close the door."_

The boy immediately obeyed, closing the door where his father's bounty hunter armor lay. Obi-Wan paid the boy no mind as Jango provided contradictory information of being hired by a man named Tyranus rather than Sifo-Dyas.

Yet Obi-Wan did not detect any lies in the bounty hunter's voice. He did, however, sense that Jango wanted to bring the conversation to an end, and, still trying to remain inconspicuous, he left to make his report to the Jedi Council.

"R4," he called over the heavy rain.

" _Yes, what do you need?"_  the droid asked.

"Scramble Code 5 to Coruscant and in care of 'the old folks home'."

R4 recognized the importance of the code and quickly set to work.  _"Ok, making contact now."_

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WATTO'S SHOP

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Things rarely turn out the way they plan. Anakin knew his mission; he was to remain on Naboo and protect Padmé. And under normal circumstances, there would be nothing else he'd rather be doing, but he was assaulted by nightmares of his mother suffering.

It wasn't uncommon for Jedi to receive visions. The Force was omnipotent, and it at times revealed visions of things that have passed and possible events to come. Anakin feared that if he did nothing, then his mother would surely die as his dreams indicated.

This was one of the reasons why children that were Force-sensitive were taken from their parents at such an early age, so they would not form any emotional attachments. But seeing as Anakin hadn't begun his training until the age of 10, he had already created the parent-child bond that no amount of training could undo. He couldn't just leave his mother to suffer and die, he couldn't!

Padmé understood completely and decided to go with him. This was how they found themselves flying towards the desert planet of Tatoonie. Their destination, a certain junk shop where Anakin had spent most of his childhood as a slave.

Even after 10 years, he still recognized the Toydarian that once owned him. Watto attempting to repair a broken pit droid while a functioning one was getting in his way.

" _Get back to work!"_  he snapped in the planet's native language of Huttese, and the droid scurried off.

Seeing that the Toydarian hadn't changed a bit, Anakin made his way over to him.  _"Hello, Watto."_

The reunion was an interesting one to say the least, but it was not the reunion Anakin wanted. To his surprise, Watto had sold his mother years ago. For some reason, the possibility of this happening hadn't occurred to him, even though it should have. What really surprised him though was finding out that his mother's new owner had not only freed her, he had  _married_ her.

Anakin knew he should have been happy about this, but it was taking some time to process these latest discoveries. And why was he having visions that his mother was suffering if she was free and married. Did something happen? Was her husband abusive? Was she captured and made a slave again?

So many questions and no answers. All he could do was keep up his search. And after having obtained his new stepfather's address, he and Padmé were soon on route to Lars' moisture farm, just outside of the city of Mos Eisley.

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ON ROUTE TO GEONOSIS

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Obi-Wan was also on route to a new destination. A new planet in fact. After having failed to bring Jango in for questioning, he had followed the bounty hunter to the planet Geonosis thanks to the tracking device he had managed to attach to his ship.

Apparently though, he didn't do a good job of staying hidden. As he tried to keep his distance, something was released from the bounty hunter's ship.

" _Something's coming,"_  R4 told him.

Obi-Wan saw it, and felt a moment of panic. "Seismic chargers!"

It was safe to assume that Jango knew he was being followed. Obi-Wan quickly turned the ship, flying away from the seismic charge at it detonated.

" _Careful, he's dropping another one!"_  R4 reported.

A few more followed as the bounty hunter tried to lose him, but to no avail. As the two ships flew through the asteroid belt, Jango managed to outmaneuver him until he was the one chasing the Jedi, and he open fired.

One of the lasers struck Oni-Wan's ship, a little too close for comfort on R4's part.  _"We've been hit!"_  he cried, and immediately set to work on repairing the damage.

But there was no time to worry about the small damage as Jango fired a seeker missile that followed Obi-Wan as he flew through the asteroid belt, unable to shake it off.

"R4, prepare to jettison the spare part canisters," he ordered.

" _Canisters, ready and waiting,"_  R4 replied, catching on to his plan.

"Fire them now!"

" _Right! Canisters away!"_

He dropped the spare parts, and the missile exploded as it flew into them. Obi-Wan outflew the blast and quickly took cover, setting the ship down on a passing asteroid. Jango seemed convinced that his pursuer had gone up in flames as he continued his journey to the planet.

Obi-Wan stayed behind the asteroid, but was able to see where the bounty hunter's ship was heading. "Well, R4, I think we waited long enough."

" _Yup, the cost is clear,"_  the droid agreed.

Coming out of hiding, they made their way down towards the planet, following the same path Jango had taken after having logged Jango's last trajectory. As the surface became visible, Obi-Wan couldn't help but notice something very suspicions. "There's an unusual concentration of Federation ships there, R4."

The droid had noticed that as well.  _"Yeah, they're everywhere."_

But they wouldn't get any answer up here. So, finding a safe place to land, the Jedi left his ship and prepared to continue his investigation.

" _Do you want me to come?"_  R4 asked.

Obi-Wan seemed to understand the droids question and gestured that he should stay there. Hoping his master would be alright, R4 watched as he disappeared into the night.

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LARS' MOISTURE FARM

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Anankin and Padmé's journey had finally reached their destination. They reached the address Watto had given them and were now making their way towards the moisture far, hopefully to dispel Anakin's visions and find Shmi Skywalker in good health.

R2 rolled along behind the humans, eager for a joyful reunion.  _"You think she's here?"_

Padmé glanced back at him. "Stay with the ship, R2."

R2 came to a stop, slightly put off. He'd been hoping to see the reunion of mother and son, but he understood the need to have someone remain with the ship in case anyone tried to contact them.

" _Oh, ok…"_  he grumbled, and headed back, dejectedly.

In the end, R2 would be glad he hadn't gone along, for only bad news was there to greet the young Jedi and his companion. Shmi was gone, taken captive by Tusken Raisers over a month ago. Anakin's stepfather and stepbrother had given her up for dead, but Anakin knew she was still alive, he could sense it.

After a heartfelt goodbye between the two, Anakin left Padmé in the keeping of his new family as he set out to find his missing mother.

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BACK ON GEONOSIS

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Finally Obi-Wan was beginning to get the answer he had been seeking. And they were troubling to say the least. It seemed that Jango was indeed the bounty hunter who had killed his partner back on Coruscant after the failed assassination on Padmé's life. And he was hired by the viceroy of the Trade Federation, who had joined forced with the traitor Jedi Master, Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatist movement.

After finding out what he could, Obi-Wan returned to his ship and attempted to contact the Jedi Council. It seemed though that the damage done to the ship by Jango's attack had knocked out the long range communicator though, leaving the Jedi with nothing but static.

"The transmitter  _is_  working," he told his droid, "but we're not getting a return signal. Coruscant's too far. R4, can you boost the power?"

R4 droid shook his head the best he could.  _"It's already maxed out."_

Obi-Wan had thought as much. "We'll have to try something else."

" _Like what?"_

The Jedi considered this for a few moments. He didn't want to chance lifting off from he planet and risking detection. "Maybe, we can contact Anakin on Naboo; it's much closer."

" _Right."_

Having climbed into the cockpit, Obi-Wan attempted to make contact. "Anakin? Anakin, do you copy? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin. He's not on Naboo, R4."

The droid turned to him in surprise.  _"What? Where could he be?"_

Obi-Wan didn't answer as he made a search. "I'm going to try and widen the range." His look of concern crossed his face as he thought about the danger his apprentice might be in. "I do hope nothing's happened to him."

So he waited, and finally received a reading, his eyes going wide as he got confirmation. "That's Anakin's tracking signal all right, but it's coming from Tatoonie." His face scrunched up with confusion and irritation. "What the blazes is he doing there? I told him to stay on Naboo."

" _And he didn't listen,"_  R4 replied.  _"It's not like that's anything new."_

Obi-Wan decided not to worry about that now as he got in position to send his message. "We haven't got much time. Anakin! Anakin, do you copy? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi…"

Yet even as the message was sent out, the damage done to the ship only allowed broken bits to get through. So when R2 received the transmission, it was mostly broken bits of data that he struggled to put together and make sense of.

" _Stupid static,"_  he grumbled, trying to decipher the corrupt data.  _"Can't get a good reading. Ah, there we go."_

It took a few hours, but he finally managed to decipher the message in full. When he played it back, it was very troubling to say the least, and he immediately sought out his mistress.

Anakin had returned at that point with the body of his mother. Having been holding on for the hope of being able to see her son one last time, Shmi had died in Anakin's arms.

Her death triggered something in the young Jedi, a hidden darkness that had been buried deep. A darkness the Dark Side of the Force fed on and would make use of. A darkness that had brought out a side in Anakin he didn't know he had and was horrified to have given into. It had driven him to eliminate the Tusken Raiders that had taken his mother from him. But now that they were gone, all he was left with was pain.

It was with great reluctance that R2 interrupted the funeral, but he knew that if he didn't give the message right away, Anakin might lose another parental figure.

" _Mistress Padmé! Mistress Padmé!"_  he called, pulling up to the protocol droid he had met 10 years ago. At least this time C-3PO had an outer covering.

Padmé turned to the astromech droid. "R2, what are you doing here?"

" _Obi-Wan Kenobi called,"_  the little droid replied, forgetting that they couldn't understand him.

Fortunately, being fluent in over six million forms of communication, 3PO was able to translate for him. "It seems he's carrying a message from an Obi-Wan Kenobi." He glanced at his maker. "Um, Master Ani, does that name mean anything to you?"

" _Of course it does,"_  R2 told him impatiently.

Both Anakin and Padmé were just as disturbed by Obi-Wan's message as R2 had been. The hologram also revealed that the Jedi had been captured as well, making the situation even more grave.

Having received the message, Jedi Master Mace Windu gave Anakin strict orders to stay where he was and protect Padmé. And while the young Jedi fully intended to do just that, Padmé gave him a way around Windu's orders. She had decided that she would rescue Obi-Wan herself, fearing that the others wouldn't make it in time. And since Anakin was under orders to protect her, then he had to go with her.

It also seemed that they would have one more joining them on their trip. Being Anakin's creation, it was decided that 3PO would go with him. R2 was glad to have the protocol droid come along. He had taken a liking to him when they had met 10 years ago. He felt that the two of them could become the best of friends.

" _Don't worry,"_  he told their new companion as he sat down, getting ready for takeoff.

"I'm not worried, R2," 3PO insisted, "it's just that I've never flown before…"

It also seemed that he had never acted on his own before. After having made the trip to Geonosis, Anakin and Padmé had left in search of Obi-Wan. R2 was concerned, knowing that there would be a lot of enemies here, and glanced at the protocol droid.

" _We should go help them."_

3PO gave him a look. "My obtuse little friend, if they had needed our help, they would have asked for it," he said, sounding very stuck up. "You obviously have a great deal to learn about human behavior."

R2 would have made a face if he'd had one to make.  _"Well excuse me. Sheesh."_  He turned to watch as his masters left, and turned to 3PO once again.  _"I think we should go."_

But 3PO was refused to budge. "For a mechanic, you do an excessive lot of thinking."

R2, however, was adamant. _"And you think you know about humans?"_

3PO was outraged. "I am  _programmed_  to understand humans."

R2 scoffed.  _"So, you understand humans. Big deal. What does that even mean?"_

More outrage. "What does that? Oh! That means I am in charge here!"

" _Yeah, right."_

Unwilling to argue further, R2 turned and began rolling away. If 3PO's mouth were capable of moving, it would have dropped open at the little droid's defiance. "Hey, where are you going?"

" _To help,"_  R2 replied simply.

Almost without realizing it, 3PO began following. "You don't know what's out there. Have you no sense at all?"

" _More than you do,"_  R2 countered.

"Oh! Idiot!"

" _I'm not staying behind!"_

"Please wait!"

But R2 didn't even slow down as he followed the path Anakin and Padmé took.  _"Just hurry up if you're coming."_

Feeling uneasy, 3PO stayed close to the infuriating astromech droid. "Do you know where you're going?"

He received no response, but there was no need for one. They caught up with the two humans soon enough, only to be cut off by a swarm of Geonosians. Amongst the chaos, the two droids lost sight of the two humans as they disappeared behind a door. And by the time they had caught up, both Anakin and Padmé were gone.

But as 3PO opened the door, he was so shocked by what he saw that he actually forgot about the two of them. "Oh my goodness! Shut me down. Machines making machines. Oh, how perverse!"

He scanned the immense factory, unable to go any further with the platform having retracted into the wall. But while 3PO had forgotten about his masters, R2 had not, and he impatiently bumped into the protocol droid.  _"Move it!"_

Nearly losing his balance, 3PO struggled to regain his footing. "Calm down, R2. I almost fell."

" _You're in the way,"_  R2 insisted, moving to bump into him again.  _"Get going."_

"You'll get your chance to looooooook!"

Upon having the astromech droid bump him again, he went tumbling over the edge. R2 watched to make sure he would be ok before igniting his jets.  _"Alright, R2 to the rescue. Jets activated."_  He rarely used them due to the limited fuel he could carry, but he used them now, flying through the air as he headed for his masters.  _"Here I come. Going up!"_

When he eventually caught up with the two humans, he was horrified by what he saw. Padmé had somehow ended up in a large empty vat after having a scuffle with a Geonosian. And up ahead, the vats were carried towards a downpour of molten metal.

" _Oh no, Mistress Padmé!"_  he cried, putting on a burst of speed.

He saw that Anakin was preoccupied with the attacking Geonosians and was unable to reach her. Fortunately, there was a computer a short distance away, and R2 made his way towards it.

Landing beside the computer, he inserted his mechanical arm into it and quickly gained access.  _"I gotta put a stop to this."_

The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Just before Padmé would have had a shower of hot metal, R2 managed to shut it down, saving her life.

" _Now to let her down,"_  he told himself.

Unfortunately, this meant crudely dropping the vat she was in, and she went tumbling out. The good news was she was ok. The bad news was that she was instantly surrounded by Geonosians. The worst news was that Anakin was captured right afterwards, having run into a little problem with his lightsaber.

R2 realized there was nothing he could do for them now, and quickly went into hiding. He would have to lay low and wait for a chance to rescue them. If he could. From the looks of things, it seemed pretty hopeless. And it continued to remain that way as the two humans were quickly sentenced to death, along with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

But they weren't doomed just yet. Obi-Wan and Anakin's Jedi skills, not to mention Padmé's cunning, managed to save them thus far in the arena where they were to be publically executed. The odds fell even more in their favor when an army of Jedi suddenly arrived to rescue them.

In response to this unexpected development, Count Dooku set loose all the battle droids. And among them, somehow managing to get his head welded onto a battle droid's body, was C-3PO. To complicate things further, the same thing had happened to his body, a battle droid's head attached to his neck. It didn't stay there long though as a Jedi sliced it off with their lightsaber. As for 3PO, he somehow ended up trapped beneath a much larger battle droid.

And here came R2, calming strolling along to the trapped 3PO.  _"Well, look what I found."_

The protocol droid looked up at him in disbelief. "R2, what are you doing here?"

" _Saving you,"_  he said, turning around.  _"Just hang on."_

A slot on his back opened up, firing out a suction cup grapnel from a compartment that latched onto 3PO's head. The protocol droid would have blinked if he were able to.

"What are you doing?" he demanded as R2 began pulling him. "Oh, stop that; you're going to strain something! My head!"

Fortunately, battle droids were put together in a quick and crude manner, favoring quantity over quality, and 3PO's head came off with a pop. R2 couldn't help but inwardly smirk as he dragged the bodiless droid.  _"Lets go."_

"Now where are you going?" 3PO demanded.

" _Quiet down."_

"Oh, this is such a drag."

He brought 3PO over to his real body and quickly set to work on reattaching him, 3PO grumbling the entire time. "R2, please be careful! You're singeing my circuits."

" _Geez, you complain a lot,"_  R2 muttered.

As he continued to work, the droid army overwhelmed the Jedi with their superior numbers. When it became apparent that they would not prevail, Dooku gave them the chance to surrender, but Mace Windu spoke what they all felt. "We will  _not_  be hostages to be bartered, Dooku!"

As the droids took aim, waiting for the Sith Lord to give the word, the tide suddenly turned as Master Yoda arrived with the clone army from Kamino. With numbers far surpassing the droids, the mechanically army was quickly overwhelmed, and Dooku and the Separatist fled, taking with them the plans for the ultimate weapon that would come to be known as the Death Star.

As the battle came to a close, R2 completed reattaching 3PO's head.  _"There, all finished. You feeling all better now?"_

3PO sat up, looking at all the carnage around him as he tried to process what had happened. "Oh, I had the most peculiar dream."

In the distance, Count Dooku made his escape from the planet. After nearly being overwhelmed in battle by Obi-Wan and Anakin before finally being forced to flee when confronted by Yoda, he now sat in his ship with a droid pilot.

" _Setting a course for Coruscant,"_  the droid told him.

And a few hours later, Dooku was on city-planet, reunited with his master, Darth Sidious, who greeted him as Darth Tyranus, the very man who had recruited the now deceased Jango Fett to be the source material for the clone army. While there had been a few hiccups in the plan, everything was proceeding as Sidious had foreseen it. Including his intention of getting young Anakin to join the Dark Side.

Even now, events were unfolding towards this dark future. With only a priest, R2, and 3PO as witnesses, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala joined hands in holy matrimony. No longer willing to ignore their feelings for each other, they decided that the risks of their forbidden romance were worth it in the end. Thus they were married in secret, against the laws of the Jedi, knowing that Anakin would be expelled from the Order and Padmé would face a galactic scandal should their union be discovered.

There was a reason Jedi were not allowed to marry. When you loved somehow, there was always the fear of losing them. And as Yoda had stated when he had first met Anakin 10 years ago, fear led to the Dark Side. And one of the things people feared above all else was losing something they loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Episode II is complete. Not as long as the first one, but I couldn't really help that. The length pretty much depends on how much untranslated dialogue is in the movie for me to work with. So, "Revenge of the Sith" is next, my favorite of the prequels. I don't care what anyone says, they were good movies. Not as good as the original trilogy, but still good. FYI, people, not being as good as one movie doesn't make it bad. There are people that think that "Jedi" wasn't as good as "Empire", but that doesn't mean Jedi was bad. Personally, I thought it was better. If I had to list them from most favorite to least favorite, I'd do VI, III, IV, VII, V, II, I. Oops, I'm rambling again. Better end it here. I'll see you next time.)


	3. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Alright, we've moved on to Episode III, the darkest of all the movies yet. I thought it was a very well done with the way it showed Anakin's transformation to Darth Vader. And has anyone read the books? Very well written. It changes several events from the movie, which I didn't appreciate, but the insight it gives, wow. I tried to portray some of that in this chapter. Let me know what you think.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Episode III: Revenge of the Sith**

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RESCUING PALPATINE

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Lots of things happen in wars. The major events are recorded, but many of the lesser events are never mentioned. However, the adventures of the Jedi team of Anakin Skywalker and his former master Obi-Wan Kenobi have come to be known throughout the entire galaxy. The stories of their adventures would fill countless books and numerous TV series, comics, and video games, and would be spoken about for generations to come.

Currently, the two Jedi in question were on a very important mission. Operation Rescue Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. Kidnapped by the Sith Lord, Count Dooku, a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, and the Separatist's commander Qymaen jai Sheelal, more commonly known as General Grievous, the current leader of the Republic was being held hostage.

With their legendary accomplishments, it was no question as to which Jedi would be the ones to rescues the Supreme Chancellor. This was how Anakin and Obi-Wan now found themselves in the midst of a battle above the planet Coruscant.

" _Enemies coming in,"_  reported the astromech droid, R2-D2, as he sat in his cockpit of Anakin's starfighter.

Unable to understand the beeps and whistles that made up little droid's language, Anakin had to rely on the onscreen computer to translate for him. "Lock onto them, R2."

" _I'm on it."_

"Master," Anakin continued, speaking through his headset to the lesser Jedi pilot. "General Grievous' ship is directly ahead. The one crawling with vulture droids."

Which could only mean trouble, as Obi-Wan's sarcastic reply indicated. And as the two Jedi flew in closer, the droids turned their attention to them.

" _Enemies sighted,"_  one of the vulture droids told its companions.  _"Take them down."_

Of course, the Jedi weren't alone in this fight. Several other fighters were flying with them amongst the enemy fire, and the vulture droids made their way to them as well.

" _Got you now,"_  a vulture droid muttered and launched its missiles.

Anakin saw them coming even without the Force whispering the danger to him. "Missiles, pull up," he said, leaving the maneuvering of the ship to R2 as he focused on everything else going on around him.

R2 was quick to avoid the missiles.  _"Hang on, here we go."_

Obi-Wan watched as the missiles whizzed by. "They overshot us."

But Anakin knew better. "They're coming around."

Behind them, the missiles had locked onto their targets and were doubling back. In Obi-Wan's own side cockpit, his own faithful astromech droid, R4-P17, took notice of the danger.  _"I can outmaneuver them."_

Not a fan of flying, Obi-Wan reluctantly put his faith in the droid. "Alright, R4." He immediately regretted it as his ship made a sudden turn. "No, no, no! Nothing too fancy."

Anakin was busy with his own explosive stalkers as he commanded R2 to reverse the thrusters, and the starfighter began spinning.

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa!"_  R2 muttered as his vision whirled around wildly. The strategy worked as the missiles spun along with the ship, crashing into each other and exploding.  _"Clear."_

An arrogant smirk crept up Anakin's face. "We got him R2."

" _You mean I did,"_  was the droid's cheeky response.

Obi-Wan had a bit more trouble avoiding his missiles and ended up flying into a swarm of-

"Buzz droids," Anakin grumbled.

Buzz droids were a pilot's worst nightmare, capable of ripping a ship apart in minutes.

" _Tear it apart,"_  a buzz droid chanted as it popped open. The others were already on it as they too chanted.  _"Tear it apart."_

R4 looked around helplessly as the buzz droids crowded around him.  _"Master, they're everywhere."_

Obi-Wan had already noticed. "R4 be careful you have a…"

But it was too late as one of the buzz droids grabbed R4's head and mercilessly ripped it from his body, tossing it into space.

" _Master!"_  was R4's last words as his head went flying.

But there was no time to morn the loyal droid as the little pests continued tearing apart the ship. Anakin quickly came in behind his former master and open fired, taking care to hit only the buzz droids. He was somewhat successful, and a few blasted apart and went to join R4 in the vacuum of space, still chanting,  _"Tear it apart!"_

It hadn't been his best plan, Anakin acknowledged, even as the buzz droids continued to dismantle his master's starship. Sparks went flying as a particular buzz droid tore out an essential part with a cry of,  _"Rip it up!"_

"Move to the right," Anakin told Obi-Wan getting a new idea.

He used the wing of his ship to brush the buzz droids off Obi-Wan's. While risky, it got the job done, except for the one that ended up climbing onto his own ship with a growl of,  _"Fine, you first."_  It ran across Anakin's ship. Going straight for R2.  _"I'll tear you apart!"_

Well equipped, a compartment on R2's head opened, pointing an electric pike at the buzz droid.  _"Tear this."_

Anakin watched from inside the fighter. "Get him, R2."

As the buzz droid moved in for the kill, R2 sent a jolt of electricity at him. The buzz droid retreated, but the shock was ineffective.  _"Useless."_

"Watch out," Anakin warned as the buzz droid tried again.

" _Try me!"_  R2 told his opponent, sending out another shock.  _"How'd you like that?"_

The buzz droid recovered quickly.  _"You can't hurt me with that,"_  it taunted.

Obi-Wan was no mechanic, but he did know a thing or two about buzz droids. "R2, hit the buzz droid's center eye."

The astromech droid took aim.  _"Center eye, got it."_

This time it was much more effective. The buzz droid reacted violently to the shock, emitting a pained cry before it slid off the starship.

" _That did the job,"_  R2 cheered.

Anakin smiled, proud of the little droid. "Yeah, you got him."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but give his own praise. "Great, R2."

But there was no time for celebrating, and Anakin was soon back in Jedi mode as they closed in on their target. "The general's command ship is dead ahead."

And it was well guarded too. Enemy fire came flying at a rapid pace. If R2's eyes could have widened, they would have.  _"WHOA!"_

After a few close calls, they managed to successfully make into the ship's hangar bay. And after a rather rough landing, the two Jedi jumped from their ships, whipped out their lightsabers, and were immediately engaged in battle with the Trade Federation's battle droids.

As the two deflected lasers and cut down droids, R2 wheeled up behind them.  _"Master, what should I do?"_

Though Obi-Wan couldn't understand him, the droid's question was obvious, and he was quick to reply. "R2, locate the Chancellor."

" _Chancellor,"_  the droid repeated.  _"Right, I'm on it."_ He wheeled over to the wall as the two Jedi finished off the droids. His mechanical arm extended and inserted his datajack into the computer link on the wall.  _"Logging in."_

As he obtained the information he needed, he projected a hologram of the ship and made an indication of where Palpatine was being held. The two Jedi took note and began to strategize. Anakin indicated that Dooku was here. R2 couldn't sense the presence of others like either of the Jedi, but he didn't doubt his master's senses, nor did he doubt Obi-Wan's guess that it was a trap.

"Next move?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan gave him a cocky smile. "Spring the trap."

As the two headed off, R2 disconnected himself from the wall and started after them.  _"Should I come?"_

Anakin looked back. "R2, go back. I need you to stay with the ship."

Obi-Wan then pulled out his communicator and tossed it to the droid. "Here, take this, and wait for orders."

R2 caught the device, inwardly pouting.  _"Aww, guard duty again."_

Well, he should have expected it. They would need someone to guard the ships so they could make their mistake. He had the utmost confidence in them anyway, and so he sat back, metaphorically speaking, and waited to hear from them.

But it wasn't the two Jedi he heard coming. Two advanced battle droids were making there way into the hanger towards the ships.

" _Uh oh!"_  he yelped, quickly taking cover. If they caught him, it would be all over.

"Those are Jedi fighters alright," said one of the battle droids as they approached the two ships.

R2 peeked out from behind his hiding spot.  _"This isn't good."_

At least they hadn't seen him. Not yet anyway. He just hoped they didn't dismantle the ships or anything. As long as they didn't look over here, he should be fine. He would just be real quiet and-

"R2," came Obi-Wan's voice from over the communicator, "activate elevator 31174."

R2 looked at the device in horror as Obi-Wan's voice repeated the command. One of the battle droids heard it as well, but couldn't seem to figure out where it's coming from.

" _No, not now,"_  R2 whispered, backing into the shadows.

"R2, activate the elevator, number 3-1-1-7-4.

R2 quickly stuck the device into his body.  _"Be quiet."_

Shutting away the communicator seemed to muffle the voice enough so the battle droids couldn't hear it anymore, or at least not make it out. As the one that had first heard Obi-Wan's voice seemed to want to investigate, the second one simply dismissed it. "Get back to work, that's nothing."

It seemed he was safe, and R2 gave an internal sigh of relief.  _"Close call."_

But his masters still needed him, and the moment he was able to get away, he returned to wall, reinserting his datajack into the computer link.  _"Ok, elevator."_

It was easy enough to get it working, but it seemed he made a little mistake as Obi-Wan's voice came over the communicator again. "Stop, stop. R2, we need to be going up. R2, do you copy? R2, do you hear me? R2, we need to be going up, not down."

He quickly stopped the elevator and changed directions.  _"Ok, up."_

He glanced at the two battle droids and realizing that he had been spotted.

"Hey, you!" one cried as they began to make their way over to him.

R2 jumped.  _"Yikes, busted!"_

He quickly sent the elevator up, and Obi-Wan voiced his approval. "Now, that's better."

R2 glanced back at the battle droids.  _"Yeah, for you maybe."_

One of the battle droids grabbed him, pulling him away from the wall, and lifted him in the air. "You stupid little astro-droid."

" _Let go!"_  R2 snapped as he hung helpless in the air. Or seemingly helplessly. He was not designed for combat, not like these two, but he had a few tricks up his sleeves. Or in his compartment.  _"Take this, you big creep!"_

He sprayed a shower of oil at the battle droid. Whether it dropped him as it tried to keep its balance or because the oil made its grip slick, R2 didn't care. He quickly ignited his jets, hovering away from the two. The flames from his rockets ignited the oil, and the two battle droids burst into flames.

" _Hmph, serves you right,"_  he grumbled, watching as they burned.

With the threat neutralized, he waited for further orders. When they came, they were from Anakin. "R2, activate elevator 3-2-2-4."

With no battle droids to get in his way, he happily rolled towards the computer link.  _"Elevator 3-2-2-4, no problem."_

Only there was a problem. A  _big_  problem. As big as the ship. It  _was_  the ship. It was falling from space. And with the artificial gravity altered for what was determined to be "down" while the ship was in space, R2 felt the entire room begin to tilt.  _"What the?"_

The room tilted more and more, robot parts and the Jedi starfighters sliding down across the floor, that was quickly becoming the wall.

" _What's happening to the ship?"_  he cried, the tilting room turning him around against his will. It continued to tilt until the ship was practically vertical. R2 was finally unable to keep rolling down the floor and had begun sliding down it as a startled cry escaped him.  _"WHOA!"_

As the ship's pilots tried to turn the ship upright again, R2 quickly slid towards the end of his long drop. He saw a pile of broken droids at the bottom who had fallen on top of each other. And R2 realized he was heading straight for it.  _"WHOA! This will hurt!"_

While nowhere near soft, the pile of droids managed to provide some form of cushion. And as the ship righted itself, the pile shifted, falling on top of R2, who simply sat there, stunned that he was still alive. Whatever was happening with Obi-Wan and Anakin, he hoped they were having better luck than him.

"R2, get down here," came Anakin's voice over the communicator. "R2, do you copy."

Sticking out his extendable sensor, the dazed astromech droid glanced around the hanger.  _"I copy. On my way."_  Then he jetted out of the pile of scrap metal.  _"Still alive!"_

He'd thought that with all the confusion with the ship that security would be lacking, but he was wrong, and it wasn't long before he ended up in the hands of two droidekas. Apparently, he wasn't the only one to be captured either, and the battle droids marched him down to where the Jedi and the recently freed Supreme Chancellor were caught in ray shields.

At least Anakin had managed to kill Count Dooku. However, known only to Anakin and Palpatine, the death of the count hadn't simply been a result of battle, but an act of murder committed by Anakin. Injured and disarmed, he had unnecessarily finished of the Sith Lord at the insistence of Palpatine. And in his final moments, Dooku had realized that he, like so many others, had been but a pawn in Darth Sidious' game.

But R2 had no knowledge of any of this. All he knew was that he was suddenly being shoved through the door by a droideka.  _"WHOA!"_  He slammed painfully into the wall, and shook his head.  _"That's gonna dent."_

Several more battle droids entered the room, one of them pointing a gun at R2. "Don't move."

R2 would have glared, but instead he gave the droid a shock with his electric pike.  _"Bite me!"_  The battle droid grunted in pain and aggressively kicked R2 onto his back.  _"Ow! Hey!"_

As more battle droids entered the room, Obi-Wan casually asked, "Do you have a plan B?"

R2 would have liked to know the answer to that as well, but apparently, the only thing Anakin could come up with was to go along quietly. Thus they were marched into the control room where General Grievous himself waited.

"General Kenobi," the half alien, half droid cyborg grunted in a mechanical voice, "we've been waiting for you."

Apparently, being half droid himself gave the general no appreciation for actual droids as he rudely snatched the lightsabers out of the hands of the droid that handed them to him. This was one thing R2 really appreciated about his masters; even though he was only a droid, they actually cared and showed their appreciation for him. Therefore, he was ready and willing to lay down his life for them.

After a few offhanded insults, ending with Obi-Wan half-heartedly begging Anakin not to upset the general, R2 moved into position.  _"Standing by for orders, boss."_

Anakin glanced at him, understanding the astromech droid's intentions. Grievous once again paid the droids no mind as he focused solemnly on the Jedi, unable to resist taunting them. "Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection."

"Not this time?" Obi-Wan replied.

R2 glanced at Anakin.  _"Now?"_

"And this time, you won't escape," the older Jedi finished.

"R2!" Anakin cried.

That was the signal, and each and every one of the astromech droid's compartments opened, firing off whatever ammunition he had to provide a distraction.  _"WHOA!"_  he shouted, screaming for good measure.

The distraction worked. With the use of the Force, the lightsabers were once again in the two Jed's hands, and they were freed.

"Crush them!" Grievous snarled. "Make them suffer!"

Once more, fighting broke out, this time between the Jedi and Grievous' IG-100 MagnaGuards. These were a special type of battle droid that were even capable of holding their own against the Jedi. Wielding their electrostaffs, the two advanced battle droids provided a worthy challenge to both Anakin and Obi-Wan.

R2 and Palpatine watched the battle commence, the former cheering them on as his head snapped from one Jedi to the other.  _"Yeah, give it to him! Go Master!"_

Though powerful, the MagnaGuards were unable to use the Force, and with the mystical energy providing the Jedi with guidance, they were able to overwhelm their mechanical opponents, and then began picking off the remaining battle droids in the room.

"Don't bother with them!" Grievous growled, realizing how quickly the situation was turning in favor of the Jedi. "Keep the ship in orbit!"

Having given his orders, he marched past R2, who quickly alerted his masters.  _"Grievous! He's getting away!"_

Obi-Wan and Anakin quickly moved to intercept him. They closed in on both sides, but neither expected the cyborg's next move. "You lose, General Kenobi!"

Having retrieved one of the fallen MagnaGuards' electrostaffs, he threw it at the window, shattering it. As the oxygen was sucked out of the room, the general allowed himself to be expelled into space, but was saved by a grappling hook, and quickly made his escape.

Obi-Wan was able to seal the hole in the window, saving them from being sucked into space. But now they faced a new problem. The ship was once again falling out of orbit, heading for the surface of Coruscant several hundred miles below. And worse of all, all the escape pods had been launched, or so Anakin said.

"Grievous," Obi-Wan grumbled, realizing it had to have been the cyborg's doing.

R2 rolled over to the controls.  _"So what do we do?"_

Anakin and Obi-Wan quickly sat in the pilot seats, the latter inquiring, "Can you fly a cruiser like this?"

"Do you mean can I land what's left of this thing?" the younger Jedi corrected.

"Well?"

"Well, under the circumstances, I'd say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant. Strap yourselves in."

R2 knew his master was an excellent pilot, but not even he would be able to do this without help.  _"I'll try and slow our descent,"_  he said, sticking his mechanical arm into the computer.

But the moment he said it, the back half of the ship broke off from the rest of the cruiser. Horrified looks crossed the faces of each of the humans, and the same would have been true of R2 if he had a face.  _"Uh oh."_

Anakin was thinking the same thing. "We lost something."

After a moment, Obi-Wan's enthusiasm returned. "Not to worry. We are still flying half a ship."

As the ship fell, R2 detected another problem.  _"Yeah, the half that's on fire."_

"Now we're really picking up speed," Anakin unnecessarily reported.

The ship began reentry as it skipped along the planet's atmosphere. It began glowing bright orange as flames completely engulfed in. Pieces began tearing off, reducing the ship in size the closer it got to the planet like a comet coming in for impact.

" _I can see the ground,"_  R2 told them, trying to find a place to land.

"Steady," Obi-Wan told him.

" _I think I found a spot to land."_

Anakin nodded in acknowledgement. "Easy, R2."

The planet's fire ships had long since discovered the flaming piece of metal that was Grievous' cruiser, and they quickly came to offer their aid, but there was only so much they could do.

"Landing strip, straight ahead," Obi-Wan reported.

Anakin saw it, but shook his head. "We're coming in too hot."

As the ship very nearly began to slide across the ground, R2 offered his moral support.  _"You can do it. Almost there."_  The ship touched, and R2 emitted a scream.  _"WHOA!"_  They began skidding across the ground.  _"WHOA!"_  And finally, after tearing apart the ground, came to a stop.  _"Are we alive? Are we?"_

As Anakin looked to Obi-Wan, the Jedi Master gave him a smile. "Another happy landing."

Or so he thought. R2 desperately hoped the next one would be a little less hazardous. And it turned out it would be, and a much smoother ride on the way to the Senate Building. And as the doors open, Palpatine, Anakin, and R2 made their way out.

" _Look out, heroes coming through,"_  R2 bragged.

Obi-Wan, however, was in no mood for honor and glory. On the contrary, he didn't seem to like the attention. He felt it was necessary to give Anakin his due anyway. He deserved it. He didn't know the circumstances, but it was Anakin that had killed Dooku and rescued Palpatine, even if it had all been according to the unknown Sith Lord's design.

As words were exchanged between the galaxy's senators, a dark figure remained hidden in the shadows, waiting for a chance to pounce upon the younger of the two Jedi.

R2, meanwhile, was busy informing his good friend, the protocol droid, C-3PO, about his adventures with Anakin and Obi-Wan.  _"Worse than Geonosis,"_  he was saying.

3PO remembered his awful experience on that horrible planet and was rather skeptical. "Well, it couldn't possible be as bad as all that."

R2 inwardly smiled.  _"I need a tune up."_

3PO would have returned the smile if were able to. "Now there I agree with you. In fact, I could do with a tune up myself."

" _I'll bet."_

As Anakin exchanged words with Senator Bail Prestor Organa, he caught sight of the person in the shadows. Excusing himself from the Senator, it was  _him_  who practically pounced, rushing towards the shadowy figure.

Knowing this was private time, R2 continued on his way with 3PO and the Senator.  _"Bye, master. See you later."_

But the young Jedi didn't even acknowledge the droid as the person in the shadows opened their arms to him, and Anakin soon filled his arms with his beloved, Senator Padmé Naberrie Amidala.

Or Padmé Amidala Skywalker as she truthfully and secretly was. Married in secret, with only R2, 3PO, and the priest who wed them to witness, no one knew of their secret relationship. To be exposed would be a scandal for Padmé, and expulsion from the Jedi Order for Anakin.

For three years, the two had kept their marriage a secret, spending as much time together as they could as the war constantly tore Anakin from her side. And now, after having not seen each other for so long, the young Jedi didn't care if their relationship was exposed.

But it would not be Anakin that would expose them. It would be something else. Something wonderful. Something that had come both from him and from Padmé. Something that no Jedi was supposed to have.

Something growing in Padmé's womb.

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ON KASHYYYK

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Many hoped that with the death of Count Dooku that the war would come to an end, but it did not. If anything, it escalated. Chancellor Palpatine made it abundantly clear that as long as General Grievous was at large, the war would not end, and so the Jedi made it their top priority to find and either capture or kill the deranged cyborg.

But this was only what was known to the public. In the secret lives of certain individuals, many other events were taking place. Nightmares had begun to plague Anakin. Not normal nightmares, but nightmares very similar to what he saw with his mother. Only this time they were of Padmé, and her dying in childbirth.

These were not dreams, but premonitions. And though Padmé dismissed them as nothing to worry about, Anakin was unable to. It was too much like what happened with his mother. And now it was happening again, and he couldn't bare it.

He sought advice from the wisest of the Jedi, Master Yoda, but the ancient warrior was no help. Though he did his best to council Anakin and offer him advice, he had basically told him, "People die, get over it."

But that was something Anakin could not do. He couldn't lose Padmé, not her. He knew the dangers of trying to prevent the future revealed in his visions. Doing so might actually  _make_ the event happen. But he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. His mother had died because he had ignored his dreams. If he had done something, left one day, one  _hour_  earlier, he could have saved her. He would not make that mistake a second time.

Answer came in the form of Palpatine. The man that had been a friend, mentor confidant, and fatherly figure to him now wanted Anakin on the Jedi Council as a Master. This would offer Anakin access to information he would not have as a mere Knight, information about Jedi from the past that might just have answers on how to save Padmé. But while the Council agreed to allow Anakin to be on the Council, they did not give him the rank of Master. This prevented him from gaining access to the Jedi Archive, and his hopes of finding a solution were crushed.

It was also gravely insulting to boot. Being on the Council and not being a Master was like a slap on the face. But this was nothing new. While the Council had acknowledged his accomplishments and his destiny as the prophesized Chosen One who would destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force, they had always held him in disdain. They did not trust him or show him the respect he deserved because he was different. And now they not only insulted him, they wanted him to commit treason for their own cause by acting as their spy.

But while the Jedi excluded Anakin more and more, preventing him from finding a way to save Padmé, Palpatine once more provided another answer. It came from a story of a Sith Lord known as Darth Plaguies the Wise. A being so powerful and knowledgeable of the Force that he could supposedly manipulate the midi-chlorians and save people from death. And while Anakin would ordinarily dismiss anything relating to the Sith as evil, the possibility that he may have found a way to save Padmé opened a whole knew window of possibilities to him.

With so much going on, it was with great reluctance that Master Yoda made a trip to Planet Kashyyyk, the home world of the Wookiees to offer them aid in the war. Yet he now found himself with an army of clones amongst an entire population of large hairy individuals. He stood with two chieftains of the Wookiee city of Kachirho, Tarfful and Chewbacca, more commonly known as Chewie, as he ended his council meeting with the Jedi Council, via hologram projector.

" _I don't like this waiting,"_ Tarfful grumbled impatiently

" _I think the waiting is over,"_  Chewie replied, placing his hands on his hips.

The clone commander got down to Yoda's level, confirming the Wookiee's suspicions. "The droids have started up their main power generators."

Yoda gave a small frown for the lives that were about to be lost. "Then now the time is, commander," he replied in his mixed up speech.

" _Good,"_  Chewie muttered, eager to rid his planet of these droids.

Out on the battlefield, the current Wookiee king, Grakchawwaa, stood up, raising his staff.  _"To battle!"_

The other Wookiees immediately charged as they echoed,  _"To battle!"_

" _Charge!"_  Grakchawwaa bellowed.

As the Wookiees gave battle cries, the same order was repeated amongst the army of battle droids, and the beginning of a savage battle commenced.

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ON UTAPAU

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While Yoda and the Wookiees went to war with the droid army, Obi-Wan was prepairing for his own battle. Clone intelligence had managed to track General Grievous to the planet Utapau. Having been given this very important assignment, leaving the reluctant Anakin behind to spy on his friend, Palpatine, for the Jedi, Obi-Wan had quickly rushed to the remote planet in the Outer Rim Territories.

Currently, he was engaged in conversation with the Port Administrator, Tion Medon, in the city of Pau. At first the Pau'an played innocent, wary of the Jedi, but when Obi-Wan confirmed his intentions to hunt down Grievous, the Port Administrator was quick to request aid.

" _Refuel his ship,"_  he said to his comrades in his native language before whisper to the Jedi Master. "He is here. We are being held hostage. They are watching us."

Quickly assessing the situation, Obi-Wan played his part perfectly. He gave away nothing to indicate that he knew while whispering orders to the Pau'an. He then made to leave, returning to his ship as he gave his replacement droid, R4-G9, new orders. "Take the fighter back to the ship. Tell Cody I've made contact."

" _Sending transmission now,"_  the bronze and copper astromech droid replied.

He then piloted the ship while Obi-Wan remained behind, hidden in the shadows, and began his search for Grievous. His mission would prove to be successful. And after an intense battle between the Jedi Master and the Jedi killer, Obi-Wan finally put an end to the bloodthirsty cyborg once and for all.

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ON KASHYYYK

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What should have been the end of the war was just that, but not in the way anyone expected. Back on Coruscant, Palpatine finally came out in the open to Anakin, revealing himself to be Darth Sidious.

At first, the young Jedi was ready to kill the man he once called a mentor and a friend, but years of lies, half-truths, and twisted truths fed to him by the Supreme Chancellor swam around in his head. Combine with the Dark Side clouding his judgment, his trust in the Jedi Council shaky at best, and his fear of losing Padmé, not to mention Palpatine's promise to help him find a way to save her, he found himself unable to put an end to the Sith Lord that had orchestrated the Clone Wars and everything leading up to it as he manipulated his way into the Supreme Chancellor position, slowly chipping away at democracy until he had fooled nearly the entire Senate into electing him as their new dictator.

Still, Anakin put his faith in the Jedi, trusting them to do the right thing. But as he was once again left behind, and the taunting voice of Sidious spoke to him through the Force of how once the Jedi killed him that his knowledge of how to save Padmé would die with him, Anakin found he did not trust the Jedi enough to do the right thing. Thus far, they had exclude him from their plans, asked him to go against his morals, betray a friend, and commit treason. The twisted truth of the Jedi that the Sith Lord had planted in him had taken root and was now blossoming. And so, against Mace Windu's orders, he arrived to find Sidious pinned down by Windu's blade, the bodies of Jedi Masters Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tin lying on the ground. One lone Sith Lord had single-handedly taken out three Jedi Masters.

Yet the tide of the battle had turned, and Sidious, injured and weak, lay on the ground by Windu's feet, sending bolts of lightning at the Jedi Master, only to have them reflected back at him. And as the bolts of electricity danced across Sidious' body, his façade began to break down. The Dark Side was like a drug, giving the user an adrenaline rush, but also taking its toll on their body, decaying, rotting, breaking it down. As a result, the Sith had come up with a technic called Mask, allowing them to hide their true face. But now, under the onslaught of his own electricity, his Mask was fading away, revealing the true face of the Sith Lord.

Conflict tore at Anakin as Sidious, injured and weak, lay on the ground, begging for his life as Windu declared he how he would put an end to the Sith once and for all, going against the Jedi code to never kill an unarmed prisoner. He reminded the Jedi Master of how a Jedi was never to kill those who couldn't defend themselves, yet Windu ignored the Jedi ways, the very thing the Council had constantly criticized Anakin for doing, and made to commit cold-blooded murder. And even though Anakin knew it would make him a hypocrite after what he did to Dooku, he knew that the loss of Sidious would also mean the loss of his last chance to save Padmé.

He acted without thinking, coming to Sidious' aid, enabling the Sith Lord to strike back and finish off one of the strongest Jedi to ever live. And thus began Anakin's fall from grace. But as Sidious extended his offer to Anakin to become his apprentice in order to learn the secret of Plagueis' ability to save lives, Anakin came to an internal crossroads, and came to a realization. Whether right or wrong, whether the Dark Side or the Light Side, whether Sith or Jedi, whether truth or lies, everything came down to two questions.

What would he do to save Padmé?

Anything.

What would he sacrifice to save her?

Everything.

Yes, that's what it all came down to. Anakin was willing to do anything, fall however far he had to from grace, whatever it took to save his beloved. Even if that meant becoming like the monster before him. And as he pledged his allegiance to his new master and his teachings, the evil Sith Lord reached into the depths of the Dark Side of the Force and pulled out Anakin's new name.

Darth Vader.

It was strange how clear everything was to Anakin now that he had made his choice. It was the Jedi who were evil. Taking children from their families when they were just infants to become warriors simple because they were Force-sensitive. Brainwashing them into believing their ways, forbidding them from loving or having any form of attachment. Committing treason when it suited their fancy and calling it for the greater good. Yes, it was the Jedi that needed to be stopped, and stopped they would be.

All across the galaxy, Order 66 was given. The clone troops turned on the Jedi. With the advantages of superior numbers and surprise on their side, the clones quickly and effectively drove the Jedi to extinction. Shortly after, Sidious would name himself the Emperor of the newly formed Galactic Empire, raising to his new position by instilling fear of the Jedi in the Republic, convincing them to exchange freedom for safety and security by feeding them the same lies, and half-truths he had used on Anakin.

But with the deaths of Jedi all across the galaxy occurring, the tremor in the Force was so strong that Yoda's cane fell from his grasp. Something terrible was happening, and he opened himself up to the Force for answers. And while ordinarily he would not of felt any ill intentions from the clones, as they were programmed from birth to follow orders regardless of what they were, he was able to detect their intent, and was quick to strike down the two sneaking up on him.

It happened so fast that the two Wookiees barely even realized anything until it was over.

" _What happened?"_  Chewie asked, completely bewildered.

" _He killed them,"_  said Tarfful, stating the obvious.

" _But why?"_  Chewie asked. Yoda wouldn't kill someone unless they were after his life. Which could only mean one thing.  _"Was it treason?"_

Fear for his little fried gripped Tarfful. If the clones had turned on them, then they were suddenly surrounded by enemies.  _"Must be. Come on, let's go"_

Tarfful hurried by, keeping watch for any clones. Chewie paused to offer Yoda his arm to climb up onto his back.  _"Master Yoda, we'll get you out of here."_

With Yoda on his back, Chewie and Tarfful went into the hiding. He was one of the lucky ones as Jedi all across the galaxy were mercilessly slaughtered. Even Anakin took his part in the massacre as he was sent to the Jedi Temple to kill all the Jedi Initiates. As far as he was concerned, it was too late for them, they had already been brainwashed by the Council. But even if they weren't, this was all for the sake of saving Padmé. Their lives meant nothing to him compared to hers and his unborn child. If they had to die, if democracy itself had to die so they could live, then so be it.

Even this slaughter of younglings was felt by Yoda, and he knew he could not stay in hiding. His Wookiee friends helped him escape the detection of the clones as they brought the Jedi Master to a ship he could escape in.

As the clones passed by, Tarfful turned to his companions.  _"They're gone. Should be safe."_

Yoda would be eternally grateful to them, but there was no time to waste. "Goodbye, Tarfful," he said to the taller of the two. "Goodbye, Chewbacca."

" _Farewell, Yoda,"_  Chewie sadly replied.

Yoda lowered his head. "Miss you, I will."

" _Me too."_

" _Good luck,"_  Tarfful told him.

" _Safe travels."_

" _Take care."_

" _And thank you,"_  Chewie finished.

As the Jedi Master got into the ship, he took one last look at his big hairy friends until the door closed, cutting off his view off them.

Chewie looked to Tarfful.  _"What will happen now?"_

His companion glanced at him.  _"All will be well,"_ he said, trusting the Jedi Master.

" _I hope so,"_  Chewie mumbled. And as the ship took off, he couldn't help but to call after his friend, somehow feeling this would be the last he saw the Jedi Master.  _"Goodbye. Take care. Good luck!"_

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ON CORUSCANT

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Even though Anakin had Sidious' word that Padmé would not be harmed, he had to see for himself that she was all right. And so he made a quick detour to her apartment before he went off to fulfill his new master's orders.

As he and his wife shared a loving embrace, R2 and 3PO exchanged words as well.  _"Something's wrong. The factors don't balance!"_  the astromech droid told his golden friend.

But 3PO wasn't interested in hearing about it. "Hush, not so loud," he scolded, wanting instead to give his master and mistress this time to themselves.

Anakin recounted the Jedi's attempt at treason. And while what he told her was indeed true, there was more to it, more than even Anakin himself was aware of as he continued to fall prey to Sidious' twisted version of the truth that had been fed to him, succumbing more and more to the Dark Side in the process.

The conversation didn't last long, and soon Anakin was ready to leave, claiming that he was finally going to end the war once and for all, as per Sidious instructions. The truth of the matter was that even though the war between the Separatists and the Republic was indeed coming to and end, the true war, the one Sidious had been planning for decades, was between the Jedi and the Sith, And that too was seemingly coming to an end.

Even though R2 was going with Anakin on these new missions as a Sith Lord, he was unaware of what was truly happening, and he gave 3PO what would have been a sad look if he were capable of it.  _"He doesn't talk to me anymore."_

3PO was quick to come to his maker's defense. "Well, he is under a lot of stress, R2."

" _Like I told you; the factors don't add up."_

3PO would have given him a reassuring smile if he could. "Take good care, my little friend."

" _You too,"_  R2 told him as the top closed over Anakin.  _"Be safe."_

As the ship took off, the golden protocol droid turned to Padmé. "Oh, my lady, is there anything I might do?"

But nothing could console Padmé short of having her husband return to her. "No thank you, 3PO."

3PO's shoulders slumped. "Oh… I feel so helpless."

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ON MUSTAFAR

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Anakin and R2's destination took them to the volcanic planet of Mustafar. It was here that all the Separatist leaders were gathered, and it was here that the Clone Wars would finally end.

They came in for a landing, and R2 literally hopped out of his cockpit where he had spent a majority of his time since Anakin had become Sidious' apprentice.  _"Hup!"_  He waited for his master, just as eager to end this war as he was.  _"Victory!"_

Anakin stopped just long enough to give him an order. "R2, stay with the ship."

The astromech droid came to a stop.  _"What? I'm being left behind again?"_  He was used to being left behind, but something was very different this time. And not just with the situation, but with the Jedi he was with as well.  _"Master Anakin, what is happening to you?"_

But he would receive no answer. And as Anakin entered the base that homed the Separatist leaders, including the viceroy of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray, and his right hand man Rune Haako. The only sound that would be heard were the death cries and pleas for mercy by the Separatists, their cries falling on deaf ears.

Afterwards, the droid army would shut down, and the Clone Wars would be declared to be over. Anakin spent this time looking out over the lava-covered planet, tears running down his cheeks from all that he had done and would do in the future. They weren't just tears for all the lives he had taken or would take in the future, but tears for his own death, the death of Anakin Skywalker.

The events to come could only be described as pure hell. Perhaps it was a fitting planet to take place on. Having learned of what Anakin had done, what he had become, Obi-Wan had tricked Padmé into going to Anakin while stowing away on her ship without her knowledge. While Yoda faced off against the galaxy's new Emperor, Obi-Wan prepared to put an end to the boy he had once called Padawan, friend, and brother. Both would fail this day.

As Anakin and Padmé exchanged words, Obi-Wan listened to how far Anakin had fallen. The boy was convinced that he was doing this for Padmé. He had joined the Sith to use his new powers to save her from death. He had turned on the Jedi to put an end to what he believed was their evil and treasonous ways. He had put an end to democracy to place his trust in the man that had only ever tried to help him, and together they had put an end to corruption and brought freedom, peace, and security to the galaxy. There would be nothing holding back him and Padmé from loving each other freely, not even Sidious if it came to it. And through it all, he was blind to what it would cost, what it truly was he was fighting for.

Had anyone witnessed it, the lightsaber battle that took place between former master and student would go down in history as perhaps the most epic duel the galaxy had ever seen. It tore the very base apart, moving out onto the river of lava. And it ended with a lucky shot from Obi-Wan severing Anakin's arm and two of his legs from his body.

It was with great reluctant that Obi-Wan turned away, leaving Anakin to is fate, consumed by the flames that engulfed him. For even though the Jedi Council had fallen, he was still a Jedi, and he would not kill an unarmed prisoner. But perhaps if he diverted from the path just a bit, as Anakin had done several times in the past, only to be ridiculed for it, he might have spared many innocent lives in the future from the Sith Lord known as Darth Vader.

As Sidious' ship approached the planet, Obi-Wan prepared to make his departure. Upon approaching Padmé's ship, he discovered that R2 and 3PO had already gotten her on board after she had passed out from when Anakin Force-choked her after believing she had betrayed him.

" _Master Obi-Wan, hurry,"_  R2 pleaded as the Jedi approached.

Though Obi-Wan could not understand the droid, he detected the despair in his tone. R2 had watched the whole thing, from Anakin flying into a fit of rage and Force-choking Padmé, to the conclusion of the fierce lightsaber battle between the two former friends. And by the end of it, he had come to one horrifying, tragic conclusion; the once kind and loving master he knew by the name of Anakin Skywalker was no more, and in his place was a creature of darkness known as Darth Vader.

It was traditional for the bride and groom to exchange wedding gifts. Anakin and Padmé had done a unique exchange for theirs. Padmé had given R2 to Anakin, and he had given her 3PO. But R2 understood that his master was gone now. He did not know the name of the Sith Lord his master had become, but he did know that that man was  _not_  his master. Anakin Skywalker would never do the things this monster had done. As such, R2's loyalties would lie where Anakin's did, with Padmé, Obi-Wan, and the Republic. A Republic that no longer existed. A Republic that was now under the control of a ruthless dictator. A Republic that had been dissolved into the first Galactic Empire.

As R2 contemplated all this, Obi-Wan went to check on the unconscious Padmé. At his touch, she briefly regained consciousness and glanced at him, only one question on her mind. "Obi-Wan… is Anakin alright…?"

The Jedi did not answer. He didn't have the heart to. Nor would she have heard if he had, having passed out once more. Obi-Wan just looked at her sadly and walked away.

" _Mistress…"_  R2 whispered.  _"Hold on."_

As they fled the planet to get her the medical treatment she needed, Darth Sidious' ship was arriving to get the dying Darth Vader his own. The next several hours would be full of physical and emotional pain for both.

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ON POLIS MASSA

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It was true what Anakin had been warned about. When seeing the future, one must be careful. Sometimes trying to prevent a vision from coming to pass actually made it happen. In the most critical time of her pregnancy, the fear and stress that had built up had taken its toll on the soon-to-be mother. The shock, horror, betrayal, and heartbreak of discovering what had become of her husband had been the final straw. She just gave up.

Upon examining her, the medical droids discovered that she was carrying not one, but two babies. In a desperate decision to save them, they were forced to operate. This was how Padmé found herself in the medical unit having an emergency caesarian section. She cried out in agony, both from the pain and the torment in her heart.

" _It is a boy,"_  the medical droid told her, holding up the first of her children.

Even through her pain and torment, Padmé admired the beauty that her and Anakin's love created, and she spoke a name. "Luke…" She reached for the child, stroking his soft cheek. "Oh, Luke."

Then the labor pains started up again, and more cries escaped her.

" _Easy, easy…"_  the medical droid told her.  _"Easy…"_  And as the second baby emerged, she held it up for the new mother to see.  _"It is a girl."_

Obi-Wan unnecessarily repeated the droid's statement as another name slipped past Padmé's lips. "Leia…"

This time, however, she did not have the strength to reach for the child. Her last bit of energy had been spent bringing these two miracles into the world. It would be this image of her that the newly born Leia would carry of her mother for the few moments she would be with her, beautiful, kind, but sad.

With her last bit of strength, Padmé looked to Obi-Wan, speaking a truth she knew within the deepest depths of her soul. "Obi-Wan… there's good in him… I know… I know there's still…"

She would never finish her statement. Obi-Wan felt her spirit leave her body and become one with the Force. She was free now, free from all this worldly pain, free from all this darkness, safe forever within the Light Side of the Force.

Sadly, the same could not be said for Anakin Skywalker, or the creature that was once known as Anakin Skywalker. As Padmé had been having her operation, the young Sith Lord had been going through his own. One that was as symbolic as it was life-changing. Anakin Skywalker was now truly gone. In his place stood Darth Vader. A black armored suit completely encased him, attached to his body in various placed, almost keeping him prison. Even his own breathing was out of his hand, the oxygen pumped directly into his lungs by the sophisticated cybernetic suit that surpassed even that of General Grievous.

But Darth Vader didn't care about any of this. There was only one thing on his mind, and he turned to his master for answers. "Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she alright?"

Another lie, or a twisted version of the truth escaped the Emperor, just as it had countless times before, allowing him to rise up to his position as the most powerful man in the galaxy. "It seems in your anger, you killed her."

The news was crushing. What he had feared the most, what he had tried so hard to stop, what he had fallen from grace for to prevent had come to pass. Padmé was gone. Not just her, but his child too. They were both gone, dead by his hand.

But no, he wouldn't believe it. Words of denial escaped him. He reached out into the Living Force, trying to feel for his beloved. But she wasn't there. He couldn't sense her anywhere, nowhere in the galaxy. She was not among the living.

He then turned his senses to the Force itself. All became one with the Force upon death. He would find her in it. He would. But he couldn't. He couldn't sense any light at all, only darkness. Padmé would not be in the Dark Side, not someone as pure and kind-hearted as her. She would be in the Light, and he had turned away from it, given himself to the Dark Side to save her. And in doing so, he had truly lost her, even in death.

Rage and heartbreak consumed him as he lashed out at all around him. The power of the Force crushed the medical droids and the equipment around him, but it did nothing to ease his pain, or hide the truth. He had known that the Sith were treacherous. It was the reason they had the Rule of Two. But now he truly understood the depth of the Dark Side's treachery. It had stripped him of everything, all he held dear, leaving him with nothing, nothing but himself. There was nothing holding him back now, nothing to prevent him from completely succumbing to the darkness. All he had now was the remnants of his life, and his master.

A sneer grazed the Emperor's face as he sensed his apprentice come to this conclusion. As an agonized cry of all that he lost escaped Darth Vader, he knew that all his hard work and planning had finally paid off. He had beaten the Jedi, seized control of the galaxy, and overcome that dreaded prophecy that had been passed down through the years. The Chosen One now completely belonged to him.

Or so he assumed. But just as the Dark Side could cloud the senses of the Jedi, the Light Side could cloud the senses of the Sith. It concealed the truth of what took place on Polis Massa. The birth of the twins remained unknown to Darth Sidious. Yoda and Obi-Wan made plans to keep things this way. They knew that it would be dangerous keeping them together, it would make them more easily detectable. Therefore, it was decided that they should be separated. Even the body of their mother would be made to still look pregnant. No one outside of the few who witnessed their birth would know of the children of Skywalker, not even the father.

Senator Organa decided to take the girl. He and his wife had always longed for a daughter, but, sadly, a child had always been denied him. A close friend and trusted confident of Padmé, it seemed almost like fate that she would deliver a daughter for him and his wife to love as their own.

As for Luke, Yoda decided it would be best to take him to Tatoonie to live with Anakin's step-family. Obi-Wan agreed with the ancient Jedi and decreed that he would take the child and watch over him. Until the time was right, he and Yoda would disappear. Just as the Sith had for over a thousand years, they too would remain hidden until the opportunity arrived to free the galaxy from the control of the Sith.

Yoda had done a lot of contemplating on this ever since Darth Sidious defeated him in battle. He eventually realized the mistake he and the other Jedi had made. It was their own arrogance that had led to their undoing. He had recognized it early on. More and more Jedi were becoming arrogant, far too sure of themselves. He had told Obi-Wan himself that even the older and wiser Jedi were falling victim to arrogance as well.

However, he had never suspected that he and the Council were guilty of this as well. So sure of themselves they were that they clung to the old, out of date ways of the Jedi that they had followed over a thousand years ago when the Sith were still at large. Convinced that this was the only way, they had remained unchanging in their teachings while the Sith had evolved and adapted, changing their ways and becoming stronger. This was how they had been able to deceive and overwhelm the Jedi, by evolving while the Jedi stubbornly remained the same through the years.

Maybe if he and the others hadn't been so stubborn, so proud, so blind, they could have stopped this. Maybe if they had opened their minds to other possibilities, other teachings, other ways, they could have stopped the darkness. If they had been more understanding, more open minded, then maybe Anakin would never had turned, maybe they would have found another way, maybe the Sith never would have had their revenge.

Qui-Gon had seen it. While he stayed true to the old teaching, he knew that things had to change. But the Jedi Council had turned their noses at his ways, denying his right to be on the Council. But it was the difference between him and the other Jedi that made Qui-Gon so great, that made him realize that Anakin was the Chosen One, and what allowed him to make this amazing knew discovery.

Death came to all, no matter how powerful one was with the Force. It was the ultimate goal of the Sith to find a way to achieve eternal life. Darth Plagueis had come close, but in the end was unable to obtain this goal. However, Qui-Gon somehow managed to discover the closest thing to eternal life. He was somehow able to come back from the Netherworld of the Force, the dwelling place of all the pure souls. After his death, he was able to project himself as a Force Spirit, allowing him to communicate with the living.

It was the closest thing to immortality one could achieve, and it would forever be out of reach for the Sith. Far too concerned with obtaining earthly powers, they would never be able to master this, and would forever be confined to Chaos within the Dark Side. But now Qui-Gon had returned from the Light Side, and he was ready to share his training with Yoda and Obi-Wan to show them how to manifest in the living world after their deaths as well. The Sith would truly never be able to defeat the Jedi now, they would only make them more powerful than they could possibly imagine.

But for now, they would be forced to relinquish control of the galaxy to the Sith. The time would come when they would rise again. Their hope would rest in the hands of the children of Skywalker. Two children leading very different lives.

And right now, Senator Organa was preparing for a very big change in his and his wife's lives, the change that would come with being a parent. But there was one thing he had to take care of first, the two droids that had once belonged to Anakin and Padmé.

"Captain Antilles," he said, gaining the attention of the captain of the Corvette Sundered Heart.

The captain immediately turned to him. "Yes, your highness."

"I'm placing these droids in your care. Treat them well, cleaned them up, have the protocol droid's mind wiped."

3PO's head snapped in his direction. "What?"

R2 snickered.  _"Ha, ha, they're wiping your memory."_

"Oh no…" the gold droid mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: You know, reading the books really gives you insight on things, especially concerning Anakin and his becoming Darth Vader. I know the movies give you the basic gist of it, but the books really go into detail about things, especially from Anakin's point of view of things. It helped a lot in writing this. I've already started on A New Hope and boy is it taking a while. There's a lot of dialogue from R2 to cover, but I still hope to have it out by next Wednesday. If I don't I'll definitely have it by the following.)


	4. Episode IV: A New Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, so the "original" ones are taking longer to do than I thought. Between R2 and Chewie, there's a lot of dialogue to come up with. To give myself more of a window, I will be updating the next two chapters every other week.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Episode IV: A New Hope**

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ABOARD THE TANTIVE IV

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In the 19 years since the formation of the Galactic Empire, civil war had escalated across the galaxy. Without the Jedi to keep the forces of evil in check, there was no one to stop the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, in his tyrannical rule as the Emperor.

That wasn't to say that there weren't those that tried. They were known as the Republic. And right now, they were on route to the planet, Tatoonie. Known only to a select few in the Republic, this was the location where one of the last two remaining Jedi lived. The other one had disappeared completely, and was even believed to be dead. But there was still hope that the one still lived, and in this darkest hour, they were making their way towards the planet.

Either by destiny, an ironic twist of fate, or perhaps by the guidance of the Force itself, Leia Organa, adoptive daughter of Senator Bail and Breha Organa, biological daughter of Anakin and Padmé Skywalker, was a part of that resistance. Unwilling to be slaves to the Empire and its Emperor, she and the Republic fought against the Empire's tyranny, seeking freedom and democracy for the galaxy once more.

But with the Empire's secret weapon, appropriately named the Death Star, capable of destroying an entire planet, now operational, it seemed like any hope for freedom would soon be crushed. That is, unless the stolen plans for the massive battle station could provide a weakness.

This was how Leia's ship, the Tantive IV, now found itself fleeing from the giant warship known as a Star Destroyer, named after its ability to destroy entire star systems. And with this massive ship firing upon the much smaller Tantive IV, two of the droids on board, R2-D2 and C-3PO fled down the corridors, not entirely sure where they could go that would be safe.

As another blast of fire struck the Tantive IV, the golden protocol droid looked to his companion. "Did you hear that?"

" _How could I not?"_  R2 sarcastically replied.

"They shut down the main reactor," 3PO unnecessarily told him, his classic paranoia taking over him. "We'll be destroyed for sure. This is madness!"

R2 would have rolled his eyes if he had any.  _"You always say that,"_  he reminded him.  _"Everything always works out in the end."_

But it seemed that 3PO might be right this time though. Even now, the Republic soldiers were running to the entrances, ready to meet whatever came through their doors.

3PO looked at the gathering of soldiers in despair. "We're doomed."

" _Hey, be a bit more positive,"_  R2 tried to assure him.

But 3PO simply shook his head in dismay. "There'll be no escape for the princess this time."

R2 resisted the urge to sigh.  _"Yup, real positive, 3PO."_

Though he too was concerned, he still hoped for the best, while his friend always seemed to fear the worst. Sometimes R2 wondered if 3PO would be a bit more courageous if his memory had never been erased nearly two decades ago. Then again, would the memories of the sticky situations they had gotten out of in the past make him more hopeful, or a bigger coward?

Knowing the protocol droid, probably the latter.

And as the Tantive IV was pulled into the hull of the Star Destroyer, it seemed there was a great deal to fear. The smaller ship was soon overrun by Stormtroopers, and among them, clad entirely in black to match his dark heart, was none other than Darth Vader himself.

R2 did not see the Sith Lord, nor would he have recognized him as his former master if he had. He only knew one thing, the enemy was here, and he had to see to his mistress' safety.

" _There's Stormtroopers everywhere,"_  he muttered as he and 3PO waited for a group of rebels exchanging fire with a number of Stormtroopers. They made a rush for the doors, avoiding the lasers that flew past them.  _"Hurry up."_

As the body count rose, the surviving Stormtroopers made way for Darth Vader. The Sith Lord looked around at that carnage, feeling nothing for the life lost, whether enemy or ally. The only life he cared about, aside from his own and that of his master, was lost 19 years ago. So for what did these insignificant fools matter to him compared to what he had lost?

But Darth Vader wasn't the only one who had lost someone. Amongst the chaos of blasters firing and bodies dropping, R2 and 3PO were separated. R2 wasn't too concerned for his friend, the Stormtroopers would pay no mind to a lone droid, protocol, astromech, or otherwise. It was the human life that was in danger. Thus R2 raced to find the princess while 3PO searched all over for his missing friend.

R2's search was more successful. He had found the princess, who had quickly explained the situation to the astromech droid, trusting the future of the Republic to him.

" _You can trust me,"_  R2 told her as she inserted the stolen plans for the Death Star into him. He knew she couldn't understand his beeps and chirps, but he seemed to have gotten his point across.

"R2-D2, where are you?" came 3PO's voice.

So it seemed he had finally caught up, but R2 paid him no mind as he assured the princess that he understood his instructions.  _"Yes, on Tatoonie."_

He knew of Tatoonie. It was a desert planet ruled by the Hutts. Not that Leia would know, but it was the home planet of her biological father. And he could never tell her this truth, it was not his place. But he did know the planet. And her request for him to bring the Death Star's plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi would have made him smile if he had a mouth at the thought of seeing his old human friend.  _"I'll bring it to him."_

With no time to waste, the princess took off down the corridor.  _"The data is in good hands,"_  R2 called after her. He then extended his third leg and rolled over to the protocol droid.

"At last!" 3PO grumbled. "Where have you been?"

" _I've been busy,"_  was the astromech's simply reply.

"They're heading in this direction."

" _I know."_

3PO's worst-case scenario came spilling out of his mouth. "We'll be sent to the Spice Mines of Kessel. Smashed into who knows what!"

" _Calm down,"_  R2 insisted, and began rolling towards the escape pods.

3PO was caught off guard by his sudden departure. "Wait a minute, where are you going?"

" _This way. Follow me."_

As the two droids disappeared down the corridor, Leia finally diverted her eyes from the last hope for the Republic. It was very risky entrusting the plans to a single droid, but they were out of options. If the Empire recovered those plans, there would be no stopping them.

Even now it seemed hopeless as the Stormtroopers led a group of captured rebels soldiers and two droids off the ship.

" _It's all over,"_  one of the droids muttered in a very 3PO fashion.  _"We're doomed."_

R2 might have cracked a joke at how this droid had said something 3PO would normally say, but he was too busy making his way into an escape pod with the protocol droid right behind him.  _"Come on, in here."_

3PO stopped as he realized where R2 was going. "Hey, you're not permitted in there, it's restricted! You'll be deactivated for sure!"

It seemed he was as deadest on following the rules as always, even during times like this.  _"Says the mindless philosopher."_

If 3PO's expression could have changed, it would he would have looked insulted. "Don't you call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight blob of grease! Now come along before somebody sees you."

R2's head spun completely around to look back at him.  _"We've got a secret mission for these plans."_

"Secret mission? What plans? What are you talking about? I'm not getting in there!"

_BANG!_  The room lit up with light as the blast from a laser struck a little too close for comfort. R2 almost smiled as he turned back to the controls.  _"Suit yourself."_

It seemed though that 3PO's fear for his life overrode his fear of punishment for not following the rules as he climbed inside. "I'm going to regret this."

A few seconds later, the pod jettisoned out into space. There was the brief fear that the Star Destroyer would fire upon them, but there was none. Not having detected any "life forms" on board, they held their fire, choosing not to waste power. It seemed they hadn't taken droids into account, focusing solemnly on detecting only organic life.

As the Star Destroyer grew smaller and smaller, 3PO couldn't help but notice that even after all the firepower the Tantive IV had thrown at the massive ship, there was hardly any damage to it. "That's funny, the damage doesn't look as bad from out here."

" _Yeah, we hardly scratched them,"_  R2 acknowledged.

Always finding something to worry about, 3PO looked at his friend. "Are you sure this thing is safe?"

" _Of course,"_  R2 deadpanned.

"Oh…"

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ON TATOONIE

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3PO wouldn't remember it since his memory had been wiped, but Tatoonie looked exactly like he  _would_  have remembered it; endless desert that stretched on for miles with the occasional settlement or series of rocky mountains here and there.

R2 had tried to program the pod to land as close to where he knew Obi-Wan would be, but considering the planet's rotation for the past 19 years, it was impossible to get an exact location.

" _Looks like a long walk ahead,"_  he lamented.

3PO agreed, though he was in the dark as to the true extent of R2's words. "How did we get into this mess? I really don't know. We seem to be made to suffer; it's our lot in life."

" _Quit being so melodramatic,"_  the astromech droid grumbled. _"We're fine."_

He ignored the insult. "I've got to rest before I fall apart. My joints are almost frozen."

" _Geez, we hardly moved from the escape pod."_

With a look of dismay, 3PO surveyed the land. "What a desolate place this is."

" _It's all desert,"_  R2 told him, and turned away.  _"Now, come on, follow me."_

3PO glanced at him. "Where do you think you're going?"

" _East."_

"Well I'm not going that way; it's much too rocky. This way is much easier."

" _Settlements,"_  R2 told him simply, hoping the promise of civilization would be enough to convince his friend.

It wasn't, not entirely. "What makes you think there are settlements over there?"

The astromech droid did some quick calculations.  _"The rocks offer shelter."_

If he could, 3PO would have scowled. "Don't get technical with me."

R2 decided to just tell him the truth.  _"I've got a mission."_

"What mission? What are you talking about?"

" _The one I told you about on The Tantive IV."_

It seemed 3PO's patience had finally reached an end. He was just so fed up with all of this. Not just this day, but the many others like it. All the danger, stress, fear, and frustration was finally coming out. "I've just about had enough of you! Go that way! You'll be malfunctioning in a day, you nearsighted scrap pile!" He threw in a kick to one of the astromech droid's legs for good measure.

" _Hey!"_  R2 cried, surprised by his friend's behavior.

Turning his back on him, the protocol droid began walking away, not the least bit remorseful as he added. "And don't let me catch you following me begging for help, because you won't get it."

R2 looked back at him. He was shocked to say the least. This was so unlike 3PO. Yes, the protocol droid got frustrated with him from time to time, but it had never been like this. 3PO was actually walking away from him.

R2 was torn. He had a mission to do. The Republic, perhaps even the entire galaxy, was depending on him. Then there was his loyalty to his mistress, and the promise he made her. He couldn't let them down, but it seemed it was costing him his best friend, and he desperately tried to think of a way to make the protocol droid go with him.

" _3PO, wait, we need stick together…"_  His plea was ignored as 3PO kept walking, and he tried to find some way to bring his friend back as he looked from the protocol droid to the rocky-mountains and back.  _"But we should, um… We could… It'll be an adventure!"_

3PO turned back to him, but R2's hopes came crashing down at his next words. "No more adventures! I'm not going that way!"

And then he was walking away again. R2 felt his figurative heart break as he realized there was really nothing he could do to change his friend's mind. They had come to a crossroads. 3PO had made his decision, but R2 did not have a choice in the matter; too many people were counting on him.

" _Well, fine,"_  he muttered,  _"I'll go on my own. Without you. Goodbye, 3PO…"_

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NIGHTFALL ON TATOONIE

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Hours went by. R2, completely on his own, had made it to the rocky terrain a while ago, and was now on the search for any signs of life. His sensors reached out around him, attempting to detect anything that might live in this seemingly lifeless place, but the only signs of life he found were a few unintelligent creatures.

But then he began picking up something. It wasn't like those wild animals he had seen here and there. Based on the movements, it seemed intelligent. He couldn't get an accurate reading though, almost as if whatever he was sensing was evading him.

" _Hello!"_  he cried, hearing his voice bounce off the rock walls.  _"Hello! Is anyone there? It's strange, I'm detecting sign of life, but can't pinpoint anything."_

He began to wonder if his sensors were malfunctioning when they picked up movement, and he came to a stop.  _"Wait, was that…? Is someone there?"_  He looked around, but detected no more movement, save for a few rocks tumbling down the canyon wall.  _"Rocks? Hello, anyone?"_

He began feeling uneasy, and he wished desperately that 3PO were with him. But he wasn't. They had both made their choices, and now they had to live with them. So R2 pushed aside his unease and continued on his way as he continued talking to himself to ease his worries.  _"Was it just a rockslide? I'm still picking up life."_

There was indeed life. Intelligent life too. And it was hunting R2. The creatures known as Jawa stayed hidden behind the rocks, waiting for a chance to strike.

" _It's an astro-droid,"_  a Jawa known as Jek Nkik told his companion in their native language of Jawaese as he backed into a cave, having stuck his head out to get a peek.  _"Let's go around."_

R2, meanwhile, was still trying to make sense of the signs of life he was picking up.  _"I can't tell if it's intelligent life or not. Maybe another animal."_

" _Gotcha droid!"_  a Jawa by the name of Dathcha declared loudly, jumping out of hiding and fired a blast of electricity at him.

" _WHOA!"_  R2 shrieked in surprise. And as the electric shock struck him, his systems were sent into disarray, forcing him to shut down as a series of mindless jibber escaped him.  _"Oh no, systems going haywire! Nubian astromech droid unit, number R2-D2! System crashing! Power shutting down! Sleep mode activating! Goodbye…"_

" _It's down,"_  Dathcha. He then turned and waved the others over.  _"Move out!"_

From numerous cracks and crevices, several other Jawas scurried out into the open. There were cheers and excited muttering from the hooded creatures as they approached the fallen droid.

" _Come on, move it,"_  Dathcha told them. He seemed to be the leader of the group. As the Jawas moved in, there was excited talk at how much they could make selling the droid. Dathcha was just as eager as the rest of them, but knew that they had to move fast.  _"Get it up, before the Sand People come."_

As they carried R2 towards their sandcrawler transport, the Jawas debated how much they could make off the stolen property when they brought it to Lars moisture farm tomorrow.

" _Hurry up, move it,"_  Dathcha told them, wanting to get in their transport before nightfall.  _"The sun is setting."_

They soon reached the sandcrawler, carrying R2 into position.

" _Move it, move it, come on,"_  Dathcha grumbled impatiently.  _"Alright, bring it down."_

At his command, a large tube came down above R2. Another Jawa came over to the astromech droid and attached a restraining bolt on him, earning chuckles from the others. The small device would serve to limit the droid's functions and enforce obedience.

" _Take it,"_  Dathcha called, and the tube immediately sucked R2 up and dropped him in storage. Dathcha then motioned for the tube to be taken up as the others got on board.  _"Ok, bring it up."_

Inside the sandcrawler, R2 was crudely dropped onto a pile of scraps. The sound drew the attention of a droid known as 3B6-RA-7, who glanced in R2's direction.  _"Looks like they got another one."_

He wasn't alone in his observation. There were several other droids inside, some acknowledging R2's arrival, most just ignoring him.

It was at this moment that R2 reactivated from his forced shutdown.  _"What the?!"_  he cried, feeling a bit of scrap metal fall off his head as he sat up.

" _Welcome to the club,"_  3B told him grimly.

" _The club?"_  R2 repeated, looking around and spotting another astromech droid known as R5-D4 up against the wall. The droid didn't look like it was in that good of condition, and it made R2 worried for his own safety.  _"What happened? Where am I? How'd I get here?"_

In the corner, a Septoid Treadwell droid known as WED-15-ST68 glanced at him  _"The same as we all did."_

" _All who?"_  R2 asked, looking around.

From out of the darkness, the depressed voice of a gonk power droid known as EG-6 spoke up as it approached.  _"Where did they steal you from?"_ Then it seemed to change its mind as it shuffled away.  _"Aww, what's it matter?"_

The other droids just ignored him after that as they chatted amongst themselves. R2 realized that none of them would be helpful as he began making his way through all the scrap metal. It looked like the place was full of stolen technology, and he was now part of the merchandise.

"R2?"

The voice was familiar, and so was the droid it belonged to.  _"3PO?"_

The protocol droid stood up, going over to his friend, both relieved and overjoyed to see him. "R2-D2, it is you! It is you!"

R2 wobbled enthusiastically.  _"Good to see you, old friend."_

Even in the darkness of the sandcrawling, the two droids took comfort in the other's presence. It seemed even the endless desert of Tatoonie would not separate the two friends for very long.

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LARS MOISTURE FARM

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With the exception of those that had a planet adapting built in clock, the droids had no idea what time it was, and therefore had no way of knowing that the sandcrawler had traveled through the night. All they knew was that after hours of driving, it had finally pulled into park.

"We've stopped," 3PO whispered. He turned to R2 who had shut down to conserve power. "Wake up." Without giving him a chance, he shoved him. "Wake up!"

R2 reactivated.  _"Ouch! What? Stopping hitting me."_

The Jawas came into the storage area as a large door leading to the outside opened up. Nebit, the chief Jawa, was there, and he immediately began barking orders to the droids.  _"Come on, move it, move it, move it!"_

3PO's negativity immediately surfaced. "We're doomed."

" _Calm down,"_  R2 replied. This was practically like clockwork between the two of them.

" _Get all the droids suitable for sale,"_  Nebit ordered.  _"As long as they look good, they're fine. That one. And that one."_

The protocol droid feared the worst. "You think they'll melt us down?"

R2 seriously doubted they would waste perfectly good droids like that.  _"No, we function well."_

Nebit, along with Dathcha, approached them.  _"Gold one. You look good. Move out."_  He glanced at R2.  _"And you."_

Nebit immediately moved on, but neither 3PO nor R2 had moved. Dathcha came to take his place, pointing a blaster at 3PO.  _"Start walking!"_

The protocol droid raised his hands. "Don't shoot, don't shoot!" He glanced at R2. "Will this never end?"

" _Doubtful,"_  R2 muttered.

The Jawas continued to chat excitedly amongst themselves as several of the droids were lined up. Some were dusted off and polished to make them more presentable as the lead Jawa made his way over to Owen Lars and his nephew Luke Skywalker.

" _Right there,"_  Nebit told the older man as Luke was called away by his Aunt Beru. He quickly rejoined his uncle and Nebit after his aunt reminded him that if his uncle was getting a translator droid to make sure it spoke Bocee.

The other Jawas quickly ducked behind the sandcrawler as their potential buyers approached, snickering amongst themselves.  _"They're coming!"_

" _What suckers!"_

It could only be described as the will of the Force that the son of Anakin Skywalker made his way over to the two droids that had once stood by his father's side for so long. Nebit had no way of knowing this though as he attempted to sell off the droids, beginning with R5-D4.

" _A nice R2 unit,"_  he said, misreading the human number on the droid,  _"good for work."_  He smiled beneath his hood as Owen immediately said he would take it.  _"Another R2, recently acquired."_  This time Owen passed, causing the Jawa to frown, but his grin came back as he approached 3PO.  _"Oh, and this gold one, a fine specimen, if I do say so."_

The Jawa's sales approach was pretty much useless as 3PO practically sold himself. With their business concluded, Nebit barked more orders to his comrades.  _"Reload the rest!"_

The other Jawas cheered as they began loading the remaining droids back on. R2 felt a feeling of despair as 3PO began to follow Luke. Were they being separated again?  _"3PO… No…"_

"And the red one," said Luke, pointing to R5. "Come on."

" _To Master! Yes, complying!"_  the red astromech droid replied with mixed up speech, but did not follow.

Luke took notice. "Well, come on, Red. Let's go!"

" _To complying Master come, let's go!"_  said R5, this time managing to roll forward.

R2 was suddenly feeling outraged as 3PO once again walked away from him, and he began stomping his feet as he threw a tantrum.  _"3PO, what about our mission!"_  He slowly shuffled forward as the protocol droid looked back at him. _"You can't just leave again! We have to save the Republic before-"_

" _Hold it, you droid!"_  a Jawa snapped, pointing a remote at him that activated the restraining bolt, halting R2's movements.

3PO's shoulders sank, but he once again turned to follow his new master.

" _No…"_  R2 cried weakly, his body frozen.

It seemed the Force was at work once again as the malfunctioning of R5 finally reached its peak.  _"Malfunction!"_  he cried, blowing his top and unleashing a cloud of smoke.  _"System crash…"_

It didn't take much for Luke to see the problem. "This R2 unit has a bad motivator. Look."

Knowing that Jawas were lies, thieves, and swindlers, Owen glared at Nebit. "Hey, what are you trying to push on us?"

" _What?"_  the Jawa cried, throwing his hands in the air.

R2 immediately saw an opportunity and called out to his friend.  _"3PO, 3PO, tell them to pick me!"_

As excellent as he was with words, it didn't take 3PO long to convince Luke to get R2, who in turn made the suggestion to his uncle.

"What about that blue one?" Owen asked. "We'll take that one."

" _That one?"_  Nebit asked, pointing, and quickly agreed to avoid any further trouble.

As the other Jawas took away the broken R5, 3PO displayed his inability to keep his mouth shut as he rambled on about R2.

" _Thanks, I really owe you,"_  the astromech droid replied as he rolled over, glancing at Luke in greeting.  _"Hello."_

As Luke indicated that they were to follow him, 3PO couldn't resist rubbing the situation in his friend's face. "Now don't you forget this. Why I should stick my neck out for you is quite beyond my capacity."

" _Like I've never saved you,"_  R2 muttered.

They followed Luke inside, where the farm boy proceeded to clean them up after their adventure the past two days. As 3PO enjoyed a soothing oil bath, he proceeded to make nice with Luke as he introduced himself and R2.

Luke nodded to R2. "Hello."

" _Nice to meet you,"_  the astromech droid replied.

The small talk they exchange suddenly took a serious turn as an offhanded comment from 3PO grabbed Luke's attention. "You know of the rebellion against the Empire?"

The protocol droid failed the see what the big deal was. "That's how we came to be in your service, if you take my meaning, sir."

" _Careful, 3PO,"_  R2 warned, afraid his friend might give away information he shouldn't.

It seemed though that it wasn't 3PO that he needed to worry about giving away secrets. As Luke continued cleaning R2, his hands came a little too close to the disk containing the stolen information to the Death Star. He took notice of the object and attempted to remove it.

"Well, my little friend," Luke was saying.

" _Don't touch that,"_  R2 replied, but unable to do anything due to the restraining bolt.

"You got something jammed in here real good," Luke continued. "Were you on a starcruiser or a-"

He nearly pulled it out. As R2 attempted to pull away, the restraining bolt caused a small glitch and his hologram projector activated, revealing the end of the last message he had recorded.  _"Uh oh…"_

"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope," said the hologram image of Leia.

Many years later, in a galaxy far, far away, there would be a saying on a planet known as Earth about a deer being caught in headlights. That would be an appropriate way to describe R2 as he found himself frozen to the spot as he did nothing to stop his projection.

Luke looked at the image in bewilderment. "What's this?"

" _Um, what's what?"_  was R2's quick reply.

"What is what?" 3PO repeated irritably. "He asked you a question! What is that?"

Still frozen to the spot, R2 quickly tried to think of an excuse as the message played over and over.  _"It's a malfunction. Just some old data."_

3PO seemed to relax as he translated for his friend. He and the farm boy shared a few words before Luke asked if anymore was recording.

R2 felt a moment of panic.  _"We can't let him know."_

"Behave yourself, R2," 3PO scolded, "you're going to get us in trouble. It's alright, you can trust him, he's our new master."

But R2 was as stubborn as ever.  _"My master is Obi-Wan Kenobi. He lives around here. It's his private message."_

This wasn't exactly true, but it was as close to the truth as he was willing to reveal. 3PO attempted to explain the situation as he understood it, ending with, "But with all we've been through, this little R2 has become quite a bit eccentric."

" _Shut up!"_  the astromech droid snapped at the uncalled for insult.

As Luke theorized on whether or not this Obi-Wan Kenobi was actually the old hermit, Ben Kenobi, he gave the hologram of Leia a worried look. "I better play back the whole thing."

" _This bolt's short-circuiting my system,"_  R2 replied, seeing an opportunity for freedom.  _"Remove it and I can play it back."_

3PO did the translating. "He says the restraining bolt has short-circuited his recording system. He suggests that if you remove the bolt, he might be able to play back the entire recording."

The human fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. The moment the restraining bolt was removed, R2 shut down the recording, and Luke was not happy about it. "Wait a minute! Where'd she go? Bring her back! Play back the entire message!"

R2 turned his head to the side innocently.  _"What message?"_  he asked, playing dumb.

"What message?" 3PO repeated in outrage, and whacked the astromech droid over the head.

" _Hey!"_  R2 protested.

"The one you've just playing!" 3PO snapped. "The one you're carrying inside you rusty innards."

They were saved from any further argument by Luke's aunt calling him for dinner. 3PO quickly made up an excuse for his friend's disobedience before the boy hurried off.

" _Close call,"_  R2 told him.

But 3PO was not happy. "Just you reconsider playing that message for him!"

Despite the situation, R2 felt an attachment to the farm boy. He knew who he was. He'd been to this moisture far before when Anakin went searching for his mother. The fact that this boy shared the same last name as his old master, including the same first name his former mistress had given her son, couldn't be a coincidence. Coupled with the fact that Obi-Wan had taken the child to live with his family, there was only one logical conclusion. Luke was the son of Anakin and Padmé Skywalker.

But R2 was sworn to secrecy. He knew who Luke was, and who Leia was, including their connection to each other. But for their own safety, as decided by Yoda and Obi-Wan 19 years ago, no one was to know any of their identities, and R2 would not be the one to reveal that secret.

But even though he couldn't reveal these truths, he desperately wanted to get along with the son of his old master.  _"You think he likes me?"_

3PO rounded on him. "No, I don't think he likes you at all!"

If he had lips, R2 would have bitten his bottom one.  _"Well, you do."_

"No," 3PO said stubbornly, turning away, "I don't like you either."

R2 looked away.  _"Oh…"_

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THE DUNE SEA

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R2 hadn't wanted to leave; he had too. Whether 3PO would go with him was up to debate, but with his restraining bolt still attached, he couldn't leave. R2 could though, but at least this time he knew where to find the protocol droid once his mission was complete.

So he had snuck away, traveling all night and into the morning, knowing he had to put distance between himself and the humans. They would surely come after him, and then he would never be able to complete his mission.

He was right too. As Luke and 3PO zoomed across the desert in his speeder, they quickly closed in on R2. However, unbeknownst to any of them, a group of sand people had gathered nearby, ready to scavenge anything from anyone they came across.

One of them took aim at Luke's speeder, but its companion tapped it on the shoulder.  _"Don't shoot. We'll ambush them later."_

As the Tusken Raiders regrouped, Luke and 3PO caught up to R2. The former leapt out of the speeder and moved in front of the atsromech droid. "Hey, whoa! Just where do you think you're going?"

There was no point in lying.  _"I'm looking Master Obi-Wan."_

3PO was quick to reprimand him. "Master Luke is your rightful owner now. We'll have no more of this Obi-Wan Kenobi gibberish."

R2 turned to him.  _"But the mission-"_

"And don't talk to me about your mission either," the protocol droid interrupted. "You're fortunate he doesn't blast you into a million pieces right here."

" _Why you-"_

"No, it's alright," Luke assured him, "but I think we better go."

R2's sensors suddenly went haywire. There were signs of intelligent life all around them, and they were closing in. R2 couldn't identify them quite yet, but he did detect hostility, and he began stomping his feet.  _"Danger! Unknown life forms are approaching from the east!"_

But Luke was unable to understand the droid's language, and turned to 3PO for answers. The protocol droid began looking around as well, wary of the danger. "There are several creatures approaching from the south-east."

Luke was instantly on guard, and went to retrieve his weapon. "Sand people, or worse."

" _Uh oh,"_  R2 muttered, remembering how Anakin had lost his mother to the savage creatures.

But Luke didn't seem too worried quite yet, possibly thinking he had the jump on them thanks to R2's heads-up. "Come on, let's go have a look. Come on!"

" _Danger!"_  R2 shouted after him and started stamping his feet again.

But while the ever-obedient 3PO followed, R2 remained behind. He quickly hid himself in a small cave by the speeder, the area providing him little cover.

There was a commotion where a Tusken Raider emitted several battle cries, and R2 cringed at the sound. A few minutes later, a group of sand people made there way over to the area.

" _Who?"_  R2 muttered, watching as they dropped Luke's still form on the ground.  _"Oh no, is he dead?"_

It wouldn't surprise him if he were. Tusken Raiders were cruel and ruthless. They had tortured Anakin's mother to death just to test out the strength and endurance of their enemies. They would have no problem killing a lone farm boy, let alone dismantle a mere droid.

" _Please don't look here,"_  R2 pleaded to whatever deity was out there as the Tusken Raiders began rummaging through Luke's speeder.  _"Don't see me. Don't see me. Don't look."_

What happened next was as baffling as it was frightening. A monstrous wail that could only belong to a Krayt dragon echoed through the canyon walls that sent the sand people running. Yet it was not a giant four-legged lizard that approached, but a bipedal creature wearing a brown cloak, concealing who and what they were.

" _Oh no, Luke,"_  he whispered, looking at the unconscious boy worriedly.

The newcomer went to Luke's side and leaned down to check on him. R2 could now see that it was a human, but he still didn't know if it was a friend or a foe. Instead, he looked at Luke, afraid for the young man's life.

" _Luke…"_

He must have been too loud, for he drew the mystery person's attention. Turning to R2, he pulled back his hood, revealing the face of an old man, and gave the droid a smile. "Hello there."

Well, he seemed friendly enough, R2 decided.  _"Um, hello, sir."_

The old man motioned him over. "Come here, my little friend. Don't be afraid."

R2 looked back at Luke.  _"Is he still alive?"_

Unable to understand, but still knowing what the droid asked, the old man just waved off his concern. "Oh, don't worry, he'll be alright."

He spoke true, as Luke regained consciousness a few moments later. And the old man was apparently no stranger to him as Luke recognized him as Ben Kenobi.

R2 made his way over to the two.  _"Thank goodness,"_  he muttered, glad the danger was over and Luke was indeed all right.

"Tell me, young Luke, what brings you out this far?" Ben asked.

Luke motioned towards R2 as he took a seat. "This little droid."

" _I didn't make you come,"_  R2 told him, unwilling to take the blame.

"I think he's looking for his former master," Luke went on to say, "but I've never seen such devotion in a droid before."

R2's irritation vanished to be replaced with appreciation.  _"Thanks…"_

Luke gave Ben a curious look. "He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Is he a relative of yours? Do you know him?"

It was plan from the look on the old man's face that he did, yet he was still caught off guard to hear the name spoken. And after a few exchange of words, he dropped the bombshell. "Well of course I know him. He's me."

" _You?"_  R2 exclaimed.  _"You're Master Obi-Wan?"_

He hadn't recognized the Jedi after 19 years. Obi-Wan had grown old, his hair and beard having turned white, his skin gaining wrinkles. Yet now that he looked closely, R2 could indeed see that this was indeed the same man that his former master had once been so close to.

Luke motioned to R2. "Oh, then the droid does belong to you." It didn't surprise him too much, Jawas were known for stealing anything that wasn't bolted to the ground.

Obi-Wan gave R2 a curious look. "Don't seem to remember owning a droid."

" _Well…"_  R2 muttered, unwilling to get into technicalities.

Fortunately, he was spared from having to get into the difference between truths and half-truths as a cry from a Tusken Raider was heard nearby. Obi-Wan and Luke made to leave, but R2 realized that someone was missing from their party.  _"We're forgetting someone. Our golden friend."_

Luke soon realized it as well. "3PO."

They found the protocol droid on the ground with one of his arms detached. He seemed to have temporarily shutdown from the fall he had taken, but activated again upon receiving physical contact.

"Where am I?" he asked. "I must have taken a bad step."

R2 surveyed the damage.  _"Your arm…"_

3PO's negativity once again surfaced. "I don't think I can make it. You go on, Master Luke. There's no sense in you risking yourself on my account. I'm done for."

" _Done for?"_  R2 asked, legitimately worried this time with 3PO being damaged and the sand people closing in.

But neither Luke nor Obi-Wan were willing to leave the protocol droid behind. Showing the type of care that few organics showed for droids, they carried 3PO over to the speeder and were soon off.

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OBI-WAN'S HOME

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It was decided by Yoda and Obi-Wan to keep the history of Luke's father a secret, therefore it was Obi-Wan who now revealed the truth. Or at least a portion of it. As he spoke, he did away with the lies Luke's uncle had told him about who his father was, revealing that he was in fact a Jedi Knight that fought in the Clone Wars.

"Which reminds me," Obi-Wan said, getting up to rummage through his trunk, "I have something for you."

R2 was feeling giddy.  _"This is like old times. Huh?"_

As Obi-Wan handed the object to Luke, R2 recognized the weapon as Luke inquired as to what it was. "What is it?"

" _Is that what I think it is?"_  R2 exclaimed.

"Your father's lightsaber," Obi-Wan replied. "This is the weapon of a Jedi."

As Luke marveled at the deadly blade, Obi-Wan reminisced on the past. When Luke inquired about his father, R2 listened as Obi-Wan told the boy a lie, or at least a variation of the truth from his point of view. He did not approve, but he trusted the old Jedi. If Obi-Wan didn't want Luke to know the truth, then there was a good reason for it. After all, 3PO had had his memory erased to stop him from talking too much.

As the conversation moved on to what the Force was, R2 felt the need to speak up before they got too deep into this never-ending topic.  _"Um, Master, I hate to interrupt, but there's an urgent matter to deal with."_

Obi-Wan seemed to pick up on the astromech droid's urgency, and went over to him. "Now, lets see if we can figure out what you are, my little friend."

" _Projecting,"_  said R2.

"And where you come from," Obi-Wan concluded as R2 began Leia's message in full.

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THE JAWA'S SANDCRAWLER

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" _This is horrible,"_  R2 muttered as he, 3PO, and the two human surveyed the destroyed sandcrawler that had brought the two droids to Lars' moisture farm.

And horrible it was. Upon making the trip back to the farm, they had stumbled across the transport. While Luke surmised that this was the work of sand people, Obi-Wan, having long since been familiar with the handiwork of Stormtroopers back when they were on his side, saw the truth.

The pieces of the puzzles began falling into place as Luke realized that having come across the Jawas would allow the Stormtroopers to discover who R2 and 3PO were sold to. And, ignoring Obi-Wan's warning, he raced back home, only to find it up in flames, and his aunt and uncle dead.

With nothing left to go back to, Luke made his decision to follow Obi-Wan to the end. This was how they now found themselves riding into the city of Mos Eisley to search for a pilot that could give them a ride to Leia's home planet of Alderaan.

" _Oh, nice speeder,"_  a lone Jawa commented, rubbing a hand over the transport greedily.

3PO would have made a face at the creature is his facial features could move. "I can't abide those Jawas! Disgusting creatures!

Luke hopped out of the speeder, shooing the hooded humanoid away. "Go on. Go on."

" _Hey, back off!"_  the Jawa grumbled, and quickly scurried away as 3PO helped R2 get off the back of the speeder.

" _Thank you,"_  R2 told him as Luke looked around.

"Do you really think we're going to find a pilot here that'll take us to Alderaan?" he asked.

Obi-Wan was confident, but he warned Luke of how Chalmun's Cantina could be rather rough.

"Come along, R2," 3PO told the astromech droid, who was shuffling along on his two legs rather than rolling on all three

R2 stubbornly stayed on only two.  _"I'm coming. Sheesh."_

Though Luke claimed he was ready for anything, he was not ready for the hostility the drinking and dining establishment held. Droids weren't even allowed inside, forcing R2 and 3PO to wait by the speeder. And while Luke was simply minding his own business while Obi-Wan went in search of a pilot, he was aggressively shoved by an Aqualish thug known as Ponda Baba.

" _Beat it, kid! I hate punks like you!"_

Luke had no idea what the Aqualish said, but the creature's friend, Dr. Cornelius Evazan, made it clear that neither he nor Baba liked Luke, simply because.

The situation grew worse as the two thugs became violent when Obi-Wan tried to resolve the matter peacefully. Yet the old Jedi proved that his skills were as sharp as ever when he whipped out his lightsaber, sliced Evazan in half, and severed Baba's arm from his shoulder when they pulled out their blasters.

R2 and 3PO were having their own problems when a group of Stormtroopers arrived.

"I don't like the look of this," 3PO said to R2.

Neither did the astromech droid.  _"Let's hide."_

The Stormtroopers eventually made their way inside, where they were alerted to the commotion caused by Obi-Wan and Luke. The two in question had just concluded business with a smuggler known as Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca, the very Wookiee that had once fought by Yoda on Kashyyyk.

Having noticed the Stormtroopers, Han quickly alerted his new business partners, and Luke and Obi-Wan made themselves scarce. As the armor clad clones made their way over to Han and Chewie's table, they realized that the other two had moved on, and went to continue their search.

" _Jerks,"_  Chewie grumbled, holding no love for the soldiers that had betrayed him and his people 19 years ago.

Han, however, was thinking about something else. The old man had promised him 17,000 for transport to Alderaan. This would not only clear his debt to Jabba the Hutt, it would leave him with a nice profit afterwards.

And it seemed like Jabba was getting impatient with the appearance his bounty hunter friend, Greedo. There was bad blood between the two of them. And Greedo made it very clear that he had been looking forward to blasting Han to kingdom come.

"Yeah, I'll bet you have," Han arrogantly replied.

It happened so fast that no one could say for sure, but the sound of blasters being fired echoed through the room as the Rodian bounty hunter dropped dead.

" _Who's shooting?"_  asked a Jawa known as Het Nkik, who was ironically a relative of Jek Nkik.

It was a very good question that would be debated on for some time. Some say it was Greedo who shot first, but most say it was Han. But in the end, everyone simple went about their business.

Also going about their business were the Stormtroopers. Having found evidence of droids being in the escape pod that had been fired from the Tantive IV, it had been concluded that one or more now carried the stolen Death Star plans.

Aware that the Stormtroopers were after them, R2 and 3PO locked themselves in a room. When they passed on by, the two droids peaked out to see if the cost was clear.

" _See, no problem,"_  R2 assured his friend.

3PO threw him what was meant to be dirty look. "I'd much rather have gone with Master Luke than stay here with you."

" _Whatever,"_  R2 grumbled.

"I don't know what all this trouble is all about, but I'm sure it must be you're fault."

" _Oh, screw you, goldie."_

"You watch your language!"

" _Just stand back,"_  R2 told him, sliding the door shut once more.

He hoped Luke and Obi-Wan would get back quickly, but the old Jedi had promised Han an advanced payment of 2,000. To get the money, Luke was forced to sell his speeder. And while he had no problem with parting with the vehicle, he was not happy with how cheap it was sold for.

"All right, give it to me, I'll take it," he grumbled.

" _Pleasure doing business with you,"_  his buyer told him.  _"Come again any time."_

As Luke continued to complain, he and Obi-Wan made their way to docking bay 94 where Han's ship, the Millennium Falcon, waited to take them to Alderaan. Neither were aware of the Kubaz bounty hunter known as Garindan following them. When they recovered R2 and 3PO, Garindan knew his suspicions for who they were had been correct, and he pulled out his communicator.  _"Contact the Empire."_

After having made temporary peace with Jabba with the promise of a bigger compensation, Han set about preparing his precious ship for departure. He loved the Millennium Falcon as much as his own life, and he did not take kindly to Luke's comment of how bad it looked.

After making quick work of rubbing the Falcon's accomplishments in the boy's face, he smugly requested that they be on their way. Luke boarded with no further comment with the two droids following close behind.

"Hello, sir," 3PO greeted.

" _Nice meeting you,"_  said R2.

But the meeting had to be cut short as Garindan met up with the Stormtroopers. The commanding Stormtrooper approached the bounty hunter. "Which way?"

Garindan pointed.  _"There. Docking bay 94."_

"Alright, men, load your weapons."

The arrival of the Stormtroopers caught Han off guard, yet he reacted quickly, returning fire. He rushed onto the ship and shut the door, giving Chewie the command to take off.

" _Here we go!"_  R2 cried excitedly.

The ship took off into the sky. But it had barely left the planet's atmosphere before Chewie noticed a problem.  _"Trouble on our scopes."_

Han looked at the readings. "Looks like an imperial cruiser. Our passengers must be hotter than I thought."

The single Star Destroyer was soon joined by two others. Luke and Obi-Wan quickly joined Han and Chewie at the controls, watching as the Empire's ships closed in on them.

"Why don't you outrun them?" Luke asked, rubbing Han's bragging from earlier in his face. "I thought you said this thing was fast."

Han glared at him while providing several examples of what could go wrong with jumping to lightspeed without precise coordinates. "That'll end your trip real quick."

" _Han!"_  Chewie cried as an alarm went off.

The alarm concerned Luke as well. "What's that flashing?"

The smuggler smacked his hand away. "We're losing a deflector shield. Go strap yourselves in. I'm gonna make the jump to lightspeed."

" _Ready,"_  Chewie told him, having gotten the coordinates.

A moment later, the Millennium Falcon proved why it was known to be the fastest ship in the galaxy.

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ON ROUTE TO ALDERAAN

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Traveling at 671,000,000 miles per hour sounded fast, very fast, but when traveling to a star or planet that was trillions and trillions of miles away, the journey still took a good while. To pass the time, Obi-Wan taught Luke the ways of the Force while R2 and Chewie played the popular holographic game Dejarik.

" _Your move,"_  the astromech droid told the Wookiee.

"Now be careful, R2," 3PO warned him as Chewie selected his hologram.

R2 internally smirked.  _"I got this."_ And he certainly did as his hologram defeated Chewie's.  _"I win."_

The Wookiee, however, was not happy about it.  _"Cheater!"_

The protocol droid looked at him, surprised by his behavior. "He made a fair move."

" _Cheater!"_  Chewie repeated.

"Screaming about it can't help you."

The Wookiee gave him a threatening look.  _"What's that?"_

Han decided to step in before his friend damaged the merchandise. "Let him have it. It's not wise to upset a Wookiee it."

" _Right,"_  Chewie agreed.

"But, sir," 3PO protested, "nobody cares about upsetting a droid."

An arrogant smirk crossed Han's face. "That's cause a droid don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that."

Just as arrogantly as his captain, Chewie rested his hands behind his head.  _"Yeah."_

3PO would have gulped if he could. "I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy, R2. Let the Wookiee win."

" _Good strategy,"_  Chewie commented.

While R2 reluctantly put his new strategy into effect, Luke made small progress in learning how to use the Force. Being the son of the Chosen One, he was extra Force-sensitive, and the skills came to him quickly and naturally. Han, however, expressed his disbelief, but was unable to argue the point as the ship's computer indicated that they were coming up on Alderaan.

But it wasn't the peaceful home world of Leia that the ship came into when it slowed down to normal speeds, but the remains of a planet destroyed by the power of the Death Star in a mere display of the battle station's strength.

" _What's going on?"_  Chewie cried as pieces of the planet flew by the ship.

Han was just as baffled as his first mate. "Uh, we've come out of hyperspace into a meteor shower."

He double-checked the computers, but they were working correctly. They were where Alderaan was supposed to be, but in place of the planet was a shower of asteroids that was not supposed to be there. As illogical as it sounded, there was only one possible explanation; the planet had been completely destroyed.

Obi-Wan quickly concluded that it was the work of the Empire. It also explained the disturbance in the Force he had felt earlier; the loss of two billion lives in a mere instant.

But while Han once again expressed his skepticism to the old Jedi's wisdom, the cause for the planet's destruction was soon discovered as what was first believed to be a small moon was revealed to be something else.

Obi-Wan had seen a lot of things in his life, but what he was looking at now sent a chill up his spine unlike anything he had felt before. "That's no moon. It's a space station."

More denial from Han, but it quickly died on his lips. "It's too big to be a space station…"

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Luke muttered as the Death Star grew larger the closer they got.

Chewie was feeling something very similar.  _"Han?"_

"Turn the ship around," Obi-Wan ordered with a hint of panic in his voice.

Han was still in disbelief at what he was seeing. "Yeah, I think you're right. Full reverse. Chewie, lock in the artillery power."

" _Right,"_  the Wookiee agreed.

But despite the command, the Falcon continued making its way towards the massive space station.

" _Han?"_  Chewie asked when he realized that nothing had happened aside from the ride getting more shaky.

Han realize the problem as well. Noticing the guns were still out, he wonder if perhaps there was a malfunction that prevented the ship from going in reverse while they were still down. "Chewie, lock in the artillery power!"

Chewie quickly retracted the guns, but the ship just kept moving.  _"It's not working."_

"Why are we still moving towards it?" Luke demanded.

There was only one possible explanation, and a quick reading revealed that his suspicions were right. "We're caught in a tractor beam, it's pulling us in."

" _We're stuck!"_  Chewie cried.

But Han was stubborn, declaring how he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Chewie, however, was feeling a little more nervous.  _"This isn't good."_

Obi-Wan once more became the voice of reason. "You can't win, but there are alternatives to fighting."

" _Damn,"_  Chewie muttered as the Death Star grew close enough to have the surface area be made out.

It turned out that it was a good thing that Han was a smuggler, as the compartments he normally kept his illegal goods made for an excellent hiding place. And thanks to R2 manipulating the ship's logs to state that the crew had evacuated upon take off, all signs indicated that the Falcon was but a decoy.

But while the crew may have managed to avoid capture, they would never be able to escape as long as the stations' tractor beam could just pull them back in.

"Leave that to me," Obi-Wan said simply.

One could practically hear Han roll his eyes. "Damn fool, I knew that you were gonna say that."

"Who's the more foolish?" the Jedi countered. "The fool or the fool who follows it?"

Chewie poked his head up.  _"Both."_

It wasn't that hard to get off the Falcon. All it took was taking out a couple Stormtroopers and stealing their armor, and the group soon made their way up to the control room while Luke provided a distraction. The moment the doors to the control room opened, a big hairy creature blocked the way.

" _Boo!"_  Chewie roared, slugging the man inside.  _"Get him!"_

Clad in Stormtrooper armor, Han fired at the other occupant.

" _Nice shooting,"_  Chewie commented as he and the others entered the room.  _"Now what?"_

R2 rolled over to the controls with a sense of nostalgia.  _"This sure takes me back,"_  he said as he went about searching for a place to insert his datajack.

Luke quickly shut the door as he and Han began exchanging some stress-induced insults.

" _There's one here,"_  R2 noted.

3PO quickly reported their find. "We found the computer outlet, sir."

"Plug in," Obi-Wan ordered. "You should be able to access the entire imperial network."

" _Plugging in,"_  R2 replied, and inserted his datajack.  _"Wow, this is a lot of data. I found the main control to the power beam's control. I'm pulling it up now."_

3PO acted as R2's translator as they looked at the layout of the Death Star. A plan was quickly made where Obi-Wan stated how he would shut down the tractor beam. He then left the group in the control room, armed only with his lightsaber.

" _Geez, what an old coot,"_  Chewie commented.

Han agreed wholeheartedly. "Boy, you said it, Chewie. Where did you dig up that old fossil?"

Luke quickly rose to Obi-Wan's defense, and more heated words were exchanged brought on by the stress of the situation. Their argument was soon interrupted by excited cries from R2.  _"I found Princess Leia! She's here! She's here!"_

Once again acting as the translator, 3PO reported his little friend's findings.

" _They're keeping her in a cell on Level 5 in Detention Block AA23,"_  the astromech droid told them. As 3PO translated this as well, R2 made a horrifying discovery.  _"Oh no, she's been sentenced to death!"_

At those words, Luke was ready to go charging to the rescue. Han, however, was not so keen on the idea. Luke tried to convince the smuggler to help, but to no avail. Yet he quickly determined Han's weakness, and was quick to exploit it. "She's rich."

This peaked Chewie's attention.  _"Rich? Well, she is a princess."_

And it most certainly caught Han's. "Rich?"

" _Rich,"_  Chewie repeated.

"Rich, powerful," Luke continued, and went on to make promises he couldn't keep, but at this point he would say anything to get the smuggler's help.

It seemed to work, but when Han asked what the plan was, Luke realized that he didn't have one. But upon spotting a pair of binders, he got an idea and approached the Wookiee. "Now, I'm gonna put these on you."

This did not have a positive reaction as Chewie snarled at him.  _"Like hell you are!"_

Luke backed away. "Ok, Han, you… you put those on."

A smirk crept up Han's face. "Don't worry, Chewie, I think I know what he has in mind."

" _Fine,"_  the Wookiee reluctantly relented.

3PO was a little concerned for himself and R2. "Uh, Master Luke, sir, pardon me for asking, but what should R2 and I do if we're discovered here."

Luke didn't really have a plan for that, but didn't think it would be much of an issue. Surely this giant space station had a few droids running around. "Lock the door."

"And hope they don't have blasters," Han added.

" _See ya,"_  Chewie called to them as they headed for the door.

3PO wished he could make a face. "That isn't very reassuring."

" _I'm with you,"_  R2 muttered.

Trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, Luke and Han did their best to pretend they were just your run-of-the-mill Stormtroopers escorting a prisoner.

As they walked, a little further down the corridor, a Mouse droid known as MSE-6 made its way down the hall.  _"Always working,"_  it chanted.  _"Working, working. Working, working."_

Upon coming upon across the droid, Chewie glared down at it.  _"Scram!"_

The little droid froze in its tracks and quickly went in the other direction.  _"Yikes! Working this way! Working, working!"_

Chewie glanced at Han when he gave his fur a tug.  _"What? It serves him right."_

They ran into no further trouble on the way to the detention level. It wasn't until they got inside that they ran into a problem.

"I'll have to clear it," the man in charge stated at Luke's reason for having a Wookiee with him, and motioned to two of his men.

Chewie had had enough of this farce and lashed out at the men. " _Get away from me!"_

Han immediately ran with it. "Watch out, he's loose!"

Lasers began flying around the room as the men inside fired at the Wookie. But they quickly realized that the two Stormtroopers were firing at them as well, and turned their blasters on them.

Han turned his gun, not on one of the men firing at them, but upon a camera on the wall, realizing that more enemies would come if this was witnessed on the monitors. Chewie saw what he did, and spotted several others.

" _The cameras!"_  he shouted, taking out another. Several more were blown apart as the men in the room dropped dead.  _"Nice!"_

When the last man collapsed and the final camera was destroyed, Luke and Han rushed over to the controls as Chewie moved to stand guard by the door.  _"Han! Hurry!"_

As Luke went to retrieve the princess, Han attempted to distract the man on the radio. When he realized he was just digging himself in deeper, he finally just blasted it apart and shouted a warning to Luke.

It didn't take long for reinforcements to arrive, and Chewie quickly called to Han as the elevator doors opened.  _"They're coming!"_

"Get behind me!" Han shouted to him.

They were quickly cornered in the cell bay. Using the comlink, Luke quickly checked with 3PO and R2 for an alternative escape route, but only received bad news on response.

"There isn't any way out!" he told them.

" _What now?"_  Chewie asked.

It was surprisingly the one they had come to rescue who saved them. Spotting the grate to the compact dispenser, she blasted a hole in it. "Into the garbage shoot, flyboy!"

Chewie made to follow, but his sensitive nose was greeted by a foul odor. Han glanced at him when he saw him hesitate. "Get in there!"

" _Phew,"_  the Wookiee grumbled.  _"It smells!"_

"Get in there, you big furry oaf!"

" _It stinks!"_

"I don't care what you smell!"

As Chewie reluctantly sat down to slide in, Han became impatient and gave his friend's backside a kick.  _"Whoa!"_

"Get in there!"

" _Han!"_  the Wookiee bellowed as he went sliding down the shoot.

Luke dove in next, and a few seconds later, Han followed.

Chewie was already at the door, and he glanced over his shoulder as Han dropped down.  _"The door's locked!"_  he declared, and began pounding on it.  _"Open! Open!"_

Han's snarky attitude immediately surfaced as he rounded on Leia. "The garbage shoot was a really wonderful idea. What incredible smell you've discovered."

" _Han,"_  Chewie called.

The smuggler looked at his friend. "Get away from there."

" _Fine."_  As he moved away, Han fired at the door, ignoring Luke's protest.  _"Look out!"_

The laser bounced off the door and began flying around the room. The others ducked away from the flying, bouncing beam until it finally struck a piece of trash.

Luke rounded on Han. "Will you forget it! I already tried it! It's magnetically sealed!"

"Put that thing away!" Leia snapped. "You're going to get us all killed!"

Han was stunned. When he had learned that they were going to save a princess, he had expected some meek, fragile little thing, not this hotheaded, willful woman. "Absolutely, your worship. Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here! You know, it's not going to take them long to find out what happened to us."

Leia stubbornly refused to acknowledge this. "Could be worse."

An animalistic noise echoed throughout the room, and Han was quick to point it out. "It's worse."

"There's something alive in here," said Luke, but Han was quick to deny it. "Something just moved past my leg!"

Chewie, however, was on Luke's side. He looked around where Luke stood and caught sight of something moving in the water.  _"There!"_

"Look!" Luke cried. "Did you see that?"

But Han had missed it. "What?"

Chewie went back to trying to open the door.  _"We have to get out of here. Open up! Open!"_

He was right, for within the garbage water was none other than a dianoga. Capable of growing up to 10 meters in length, dianoga originated from the planet Vodran, where they would stow away aboard garbage ships in their microscopic larva forms. Over many millennia, they came to be found all across the galaxy in garbage pits, sewers, and trash compactors, feeding off any present organic matter.

Such as a certain farm boy standing in its territory, and it latched onto Luke, pulling him under.

Han and Leia cried out his name as he disappeared beneath the dirty water, the former pushing aside the garbage to try and find his young friend.

" _Luke!"_  Chewie cried.  _"Where is he? Do you see him anywhere?"_

Luke managed to surface, but the dianoga had a hold of him. As Han and Leia attempted to help, Chewie was once again at the door as he screamed at the others.  _"Get it off him! Shoot it!"_

Luke went down again, and all fell silent. There were no signs of a struggle, nor any movement in the water. It seemed that Luke was gone.

" _Do you see him?"_  Chewie asked.  _"Hey?"_

Rather than a person, it was the sound of machinery that answered. A moment later, Luke resurfaced. At Leia's question, he stated that the dianoga had simply released him and vanished.

For some reason, Han didn't like the sound of that, nor did he like the sound of the machinery moving around them. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

" _Um, Han?"_  Chewie asked nervously.

He was right to be nervous. Either because their location had been discovered, or because the trash compactor was on a set schedule, the walls started closing in around them.

"The walls!" Luke unnecessarily cried.

Leia was already one step ahead of him. "Don't just stand there, try and brace it with something!"

As the three humans attempted to hold up large metal poles, Chewie uselessly pushed against the moving walls.  _"Do something! We're gonna get crushed!"_

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WITH R2 AND 3PO

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It had only been a matter of time before anyone came to check the control room. But as Luke had expected earlier, no one really cared about two mere droids wondering around on the moon-sized space station. Thus, it was easy for 3PO to pretend that he and R2 were just two more droids on the Death Star that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Knowing that the others' location had already been discovered, he quickly divulged the information to the Stormtroopers, sending them running to the prison level.

As the Stormtroopers took off, 3PO turned to the astromech droid. "Come on."

R2 brought down his third leg and rolled after him.  _"Coming."_

It seemed that even though the other Stormtroopers had taken off, one stood guard in case the intruders came back. 3PO hesitated upon seeing him, but quickly continued with the act of being one of the Death Star's droids. "All this excitement has overrun the circuits in my counterpart here. If you don't mind, I'd like to take him down to maintenance."

The Stormtrooper nodded. "Alright."

" _Nice one, 3PO,"_  R2 congratulated as he followed the golden droid out of the room.

But while things were working out nicely for the two droids, the others were having no luck with stopping the walls.

" _It's not working!"_  Chewie shouted.  _"Han!"_

The smuggler ignored his friend as he tried to help Leia climb up the rising pile of garbage so she wouldn't be crushed. Luke, meanwhile, was shouting 3PO's name into the comlink, not receiving any response.

" _Han!"_  Chewie called again, but the smuggler's sole focus was on the princess.

3PO knew the others were in trouble, but he didn't know how much. He had hoped that they had escaped from the cell bay and had made their way back to the Millennium Falcon, but saw that they hadn't come back.

"They're not here," he told R2. "Something must have happened to them. See if they've been captured. Hurry."

R2 quickly moved to insert his datajack in an outlet on the wall.  _"I really hope not. Otherwise it's all over."_  He did a quick scan of the system's data, and was relieved to discover that they hadn't been caught yet.  _"No, so far they're still at large."_

3PO was equally as relieved. "Thank goodness they haven't found them. Where could they be?"

R2 glanced at him.  _"Why don't you just use the comlink?"_

If he had eyelids, 3PO would have blinked. "Use the comlink? Oh my, I forgot I turned it off."

" _Han!"_  Chewie called once more as the narrow space grew thinner and thinner.

Then another voice spoke up, this one coming in over the comlink Luke held. At first the protocol droid began making a useless report, but Luke quickly interrupted, ordering him to shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level.

" _Quick!"_  Chewie shouted to the droid.

As Luke's order was repeated, 3PO rounded on R2. "No, shut them  _all_  down, hurry!"

The astromech droid worked as fast as he could.  _"I'm working on it. Give me a second. I think I got it. Ok, shutting down now."_

From over the comlink, cries were heard. 3PO immediately interpreted them as cries of pain and was quick to curse himself.

R2 almost wanted to laugh. For an interpreter, he was certainly misinterpreting the cries.  _"Chill!"_

It soon became apparent that the cries were of relief and joy. As Han and Leia hugged, Luke shouted his praise to the droids while Chewie gave his own happy cry of,  _"We're alive!"_

With R2's help, they managed to get the door open. They then stripped off their Stormtrooper armor and got ready to make their escape.

"Well lets get moving," said Luke.

But at that moment, the dianoga made its reappearance. Emitting an animalistic cry, it's tentacles slithered towards the door, startling Chewie.  _"Run for it!"_

Han gave his friend a look of disbelief, surprised at how much of a coward he was being. "Where you going?"

He then ignored Leia's warning as he fired at the dianoga, sending it scurrying back into the trash compactor.

It seemed though that they had made a mistake in removing their Stormtrooper armor, as without it, it was a dead giveaway that they were the intruders. However, upon running into a group of Stormtroopers, Han's deranged battle cry and itchy trigger finger sent the group running as he gave chase.

"Get back to the ship!" he shouted to Luke and Leia.

" _Go!"_  Chewie cried, following after Han.

If Han had stopped to think. He would have realized that he was doing something incredibly stupid. It was only when he chased the group of Stormtroopers into another room filled with several dozen more that he realized just how idiotic he was being, and he quickly retreated.

As each group made their own way back to the ship, 3PO anxiously waited for them all turn return. "Where could they be?" he asked worriedly.

Still hooked into the computer, R2 glanced at him.  _"Give them time."_

But it wasn't just the three humans and the Wookiee who were on their way back. Having turned off the tractor beam, Obi-Wan was making his way back too. Only he ran into an obstacle, an obstacle that had been waiting 19 years for a rematch.

"I have been waiting for you, Obi-Wan," Darth Vader told his former mentor. "We meet again, at last."

The two held up their lightsabers, Obi-Wan's blue, Vader's red, the chosen color of the Sith. There was little to be said even after 19 years with the exception of some bragging by Vader and words of wisdom from Obi-Wan. Instead, their blades did the talking as nearly two decades of hostility clashed with each contact of the beams.

Somehow, as the Jedi Knight and Sith Lord exchanged blows, Han and Chewie managed to make it back to the Falcon after having ditched their pursuers, only to find several more Stormtroopers guarding the ship.

"Didn't we just leave this party?" the smuggler complained.

" _I know,"_  Chewie agreed.

It seemed that Luke and Leia had run into their own trouble, but had also managed to escape unharmed and rejoin Han and Chewie. Now the question was, how were they going to make it past all the guards?

Ask a Jedi, and they would say it was the Force at work, having placed the battle between Obi-Wan and Vader right by the hanger. The flashing lights of their blades meeting drew the attention of the Stormtroopers, and they went to watch the fight play out, leaving the way clear for the others.

"Come on, R2," 3PO told his companion, "were going."

" _It's about time,"_  said the astromech droid, dropping his third leg. He spotted the other four sneaking towards the ship as well.  _"Look the others."_

But as the groups made their way towards the ship, Luke was distracted by the same thing that had drawn the attention of the Stormtroopers. Obi-Wan, locked in combat with Vader. The young farm boy had no idea who the man in black was that Obi-Wan was battling with, but he found himself unable to tear his eyes away.

Obi-Wan, however, did divert his gaze, from father to son. He looked back at Vader, a content smile on his face. He knew there would be no escape, not for him, but he was all right with that. He'd had a long fulfilling life. He was ready to die.

But it would not be Vader's victory. As he told the Sith Lord as they did battle, if he were to be struck down, he would become more powerful than Vader could possible imagine. He'd gone through the training shown to him by Qui-Gon. He knew how to materialize in the living world as a Force ghost, a power than could never be snuffed out, made of pure Force. He would be able to come and go from Netherworld of the Force to the living world at will, and there would be nothing the Sith Lord could do to stop or match him. Even in death, he would do his duty to make sure the light overpowered the darkness.

With that, he closed his eyes, and surrendered himself to his death. Vader's blade flew towards him, striking the old Jedi. Upon death, Obi-Wan vanished, so at one with the Force that his very body was absorbed into it, and he became one with the Light Side, leaving only his robes and weapon behind.

Luke's cry of despair echoed throughout the hanger, drawing the attention of the Stormtroopers. They turned and began firing at him, and Luke returned their fire.

" _Hurry!"_  R2 cried as he rolled up the ramp.

Vader heard the commotion, but was baffled by what had just transpired. Never before had he witnessed what had happened to his old master. Wary of tricks, he tapped the robes with his foot.

Confused, but satisfied that the old man was indeed gone, he turned towards the Falcon, only the have the door close on him as Luke blasted its controls. Even with his lightsaber, it would take some time to get through the thick doors.

On the other side, Luke was blinded by rage and grief as he became more intent on shooting down all the Stormtroopers rather than making his escape. It was only the sound of Obi-Wan's voice urging him to run that he finally hurried on board the ship.

"Ok, hit it!" Han told his first mate.

Chewie was quick to comply.  _"Hitting!"_  Moments later, the Falcon was in the air, flying out of the enormous space station. Chewie checked the computer, getting no reading on the tractor beam.  _"The tractor beam's out."_

In the back, the adrenaline rush within Luke had died down, and he now sat by the Dejarik board, coming to terms with Obi-Wan's death.

R2 was equally as depressed, having lost yet another good friend after having finally been reunited with him after so long.  _"Obi-Wan…"_

Back in the pilot seat, the scanner revealed that four TIE/line starfighters were following them. Deciding that he needed some help, Han got up to get the others. "Angle the deflector shields while I charge up the main guns."

" _Right,"_  Chewie replied, taking over the controls.

The fight with the TIE Fighters was enough to snap Luke out of his depression, and they set to work on blasting the miniature ships.

" _Yikes!"_  R2 cried as they took on fire.

But the four Fighters were never meant to take out the Falcon, rather just make it look like the Empire was giving chase while those on board unknowingly carried the homing beacon back to the Rebel base. All the same, it didn't stop them from cheering when the last Fighter went out with a bang.

"We did it!" Leia cried, hugging the Wookiee.

" _Great!"_  Chewie cheered, hugging her back.

3PO, however, still managed to find something to complain about. In the chaos of the battle, he had somehow gotten tangled in a bunch of wires. "Help! I think I'm melting! This is all your fault!"

R2 gave him a look.  _"Why is everything my fault?"_

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REBEL BASE

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The Rebels had changed their base's locations over time. Currently, it was on one of the moons of the planet Yavin. Finally, the plans to the Death Star were in the hands of the Republic, and they immediately went about retrieving the data from R2.

" _I hope this data proves useful,"_  said R2 as he was plugged into the computer.  _"We went though hell for it. Ok, it's coming up now."_

It turned out that the plans did reveal of weakness. A single weakness. Somewhere on the massive space station lay a single exhaust that led directly to the Death Star's main reactor. Only two meters wide, shielded from laser fire, and guarded by numerous guns, it would require a one-man ship to fire a proton torpedo in a 90 degree angle down the narrow shaft to travel for countless miles in a straight line while exhaust threatened to push the torpedo out. But should it reach the main reactor, it would cause a chain reaction that would destroy the entire space station. And in the meantime, said space station was on its way towards the Rebel base to destroy it once and for all.

Han was not crazy enough to wait around to die. And this time, no amount of pleading from Luke would get him to come along. He had his reward; now he could pay off Jabba and be a free man once again.

Luke made his disappointment apparent as he turned away from the man he thought was his friend.

For some reason, this bothered Han. Unwilling to let things end this way, he called out, "Hey, Luke, may the Force be with you."

He'd hoped for some reaction, maybe a more appealing parting word, but Luke just looked at him before walking away.

" _Real smooth, Han,"_  Chewie remarked.

Han glared at him. "What are you looking at? I know what I'm doing."

Disappointed, but unwilling to dwell on it, Luke made his way over to his X-wing starfighter where R2 was being lowered into the droid cockpit. "You ok, R2?"

" _Doing good,_ Master _Luke,"_  the astromech droid replied, finally acknowledging Luke as his master.

3PO was also making an acknowledgement of his own as he pleaded with his friend. "Hang on tight, R2. You've got to come back."

" _Oh, but I thought I always caused you trouble,"_  R2 teased.

3PO would have smiled if he could. "You wouldn't want my life to get boring, would you?"

" _Not a chance."_

A short while later, the attack was on. It was a race against time as the Death Star approached the Rebel base. Now the question was, what would come first, the destruction of the Death Star, or the destruction of the Republic?

The odds were not in favor of the Rebels. All their hopes now rested with those 30 brave men going off to war. They reported in one by one as they approached the massive space station.

"Red Five, standing by," Luke reported.

" _R2, standing by,"_  the astromech droid couldn't resist adding.

It wasn't long before the gunfire began. But as the attack commenced, a problem was soon discovered. The Rebel ships were so small that the X-wings were avoiding the Death Star's fire. Not thinking such small ships would be a threat to such a massive battle station, the Death Star's defense was meant to take out much large ships.

That was when the TIE Fighters arrived. With the Rebels focusing on trying to get to the Death Star's exhaust port, the Fighters began taking them out one at a time. Luke had a close call, but his ship remained intact after having taken a hit.

"I'm hit, but not bad," he reported. "R2, see what you can do with it."

" _Got it,"_  the astromech droid replied.  _"Just focus on the mission."_

The situation became even more grave when Darth Vader himself joined the battle. With the Dark Side of the Force on his side, the Rebel ships began dropping even faster. The only positive news was that they had made it to the trench that led to the exhaust port.

The first attempt proved to be a failure, the torpedoes exploding on the surface. And to make matters worse, the Rebel base was almost in range of the Death Star.

"R2, that stabilizer has broken loose again," Luke reported. "See if you can lock it down.

R2 reached out with his mechanical claw.  _"Alright, I see the problem."_

Their numbers were dwindling even more, and the Death Star was getting closer to the target. Luke started getting desperate as Vader and his accomplices moved in to finish off the remaining Rebel ships. "R2, try and increase the power."

" _We're cutting this close,"_  the astromech droid told him as he looked back at the TIE Fighters. Another Rebel ship went up in flames as R2 made the finishing touches.  _"All done."_

But now only Luke was left. It was up to him and him alone to destroy the massive battle ship. And as he approached the exhaust port, the voice of Obi-Wan spoke to him. "Use the Force, Luke."

" _They're coming in!"_  R2 shouted to him. A moment later, a blast from Vader's ship struck the droid.  _"WHOA!"_

Luke looked over his shoulder in horror. "I've lost R2!"

It seemed all hope was lost as the Death Star finally cleared Yavin and began to power up to blast the Rebel base to oblivion. But instead, it was one of Vader's wingmen that went up in flames as the Millennium Falcon came flying to the rescue. Another shot was fired off, and Vader's other wingman sacrificed himself, crashing into Vader's ship, sending the Sith Lord spinning into space to avoid Han's attack.

Clear of enemies, Luke put his faith in Obi-Wan and the Force as he fired his torpedoes. The two missiles flew forward and curved, going straight down the exhaust port.

Luke released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding as he and Han pulled the ships away. A few moments later, the Death Star erupted in a massive explosion that lit up all of space for light-years all around.

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THE AWARD CEREMONY

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Many had fought, and many had died, but only two had gone above and beyond the call of duty, only to come out intact. And the Rebel army honored these two with an award ceremony. Hundreds of soldiers lined up to welcome the two pilots as Luke, Han, and Chewie made their way towards Leia.

" _Awesome,"_  Chewie muttered, feeling very proud at that moment. If only his people could see him now.

As Leia bestowed medals upon the two heroes, Luke looked to the clean and polished 3PO, who was accompanied by the freshly repaired astromech droid.

" _Congratulations, Master!"_  R2 cheered, earning a smile from the once simple farm boy.  _"You're a hero!"_  He was practically dancing in place, and 3PO placed a hand on his head.  _"I'm calm."_

The two honorary members of the Republic turned to the others as applause broke out. As Leia would come to declare when the story was told, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time; naturally, they became heroes.

" _Thank you!"_  Chewie cried.  _"Thanks!"_

But while the destruction of the Death Star was not the end of the war, it was a crushing blow to the Empire and a major victory for the Republic. All thanks to a simple farm boy and a Corellian smuggler. For nearly two decades, many people across the galaxy didn't think anyone would be able to defeat the Empire, but with this victory, they had hope once again, a new hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Couldn't resist ending it with that last line. This one really took a long time to write, mostly with the droids at the beginning. Kind of got annoying actually. Wow, never thought I'd say that about Star Wars. But it was still fun to write. I must say, finding the names of these characters was a real chore, but there's surprisingly a lot of history and side stories about them that I never knew about. That's pretty cool. Two more to go. Well, at least until The Force Awakens comes out.)


	5. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Phew. Doing this, you don't realize how much dialogue characters like R2 and Chewie actually have. I seriously didn't think this would take as long as it did. I'm talking hours of work. It's rather exhausting and time consuming. But worth it. So, this chapter is "The Empire Strikes Back". A lot of people say it was the best of the original trilogy. I actually thought "Jedi" was better "A New Hope" too, but whatever.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back**

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ON HOTH

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With the destruction of the Death Star, a critical blow had been dealt to the Galactic Empire. Yet the war was far from over. More determined than ever to wipe out the rebels, the evil Sith Lord, Darth Vader, and his army of Stormtroopers spread across the galaxy to hunt them down.

Over the three year period since the Death Star's destruction, the identity of the two war heroes eventually became known. While Vader knew of Han Solo from the high priced bounty on his head placed by Jabba the Hutt, it was the other, Luke Skywalker, that had really caught his attention.

The name and the power of the Force he had sensed around the former farm boy was more than enough for him to guess who he was. It seemed the boy had survived the death of his mother when he was still in the womb. How very wise of Obi-Wan to hide him away, but Vader was determined to find him.

Having little success, even with the power of the Force, the rebels remained in hiding somewhere within the galaxy. So the Empire took to relying on their imperil probe droids seek them out, one of the latest landing on the frozen planet known as Hoth.

It was on this world of snow and ice that the Republic had made their base. And as Luke went to investigate a meteor landing, not knowing that it was in fact one of the Empire's droids, Han was just coming back from making his rounds. It would be for the last time. He knew he could no longer stay, not if he wanted to get this bounty off his head. He just hoped Jabba would be willing to negotiate if he brought substantial payment.

"Chewie!" he called, entering the hanger where his copilot and friend had been working on his pride and joy, the Millennium Falcon.

Looking up from his repairs, the Wookiee gave is friend a furious look.  _"Han, where've you been? I've been working here all day!"_

Han realized he was in trouble if Chewie was actually yelling at him and held up his hands. "Alright, don't lose your temper. I'll come right back, and give you a hand."

" _You said that last time,"_  Chewie grumbled, going back to his repairs.

Chewie wasn't the only one in a bad mood. The protocol droid, C-3PO, and his astromech droid friend, R2-D2, were currently making their way down the hall, the latter scolding the smaller droid. "Don't try to blame me."

" _But you said-"_  R2 began.

"I didn't ask you to turn on the thermal heater."

" _It was implied."_

"I merely commented that it was freezing in the princess' chambers." 3PO defended.

" _Yeah, so I warmed it up."_

"But it's  _supposed_  to be freezing."

R2 would have rolled his eyes if he had any.  _"It doesn't have to be."_

Refusing to let the blame be placed on him, 3PO changed the direction of the conversation. "How we're going to dry off all those clothes, I really don't know."

" _No surprise there,"_  R2 muttered.

"Oh, switch off!"

They made their way over to the human and Wookiee who were in the middle of their own argument about the repairs on the Falcon. It seemed that a lot of arguing had been going on, a recent one being between Han and Princess Leia. While the princess had been trying to convince Han to stay, Han had been trying to get her to admit the  _real_  reason she wanted him to stay, both too stubborn to admit how they really felt.

In his stubbornness, Han had turned off his communicator so he wouldn't have to talk to her, and thus was unaware of her concerns regarding the fact that Luke had still not reported in, and the temperature was rapidly dropping. Hence the reason R2 and 3PO were here, to find out if Han knew anything.

But he was just as concerned about his fiend when he learned that Luke was still out there. Ignoring the protocol droid, he went to find out if Luke was anywhere in the base.

"Impossible man," 3PO grumbled as Han stormed past him.

" _I'll say,"_  R2 agreed.

3PO motioned for him to follow. "Come on, R2, let's find Princess Leia."

R2 worriedly followed.  _"What do you think?"_

The protocol droid lowered his voice. "Between ourselves-"

" _What?"_

"I think Master Luke is in considerable danger."

And it seemed his suspicions were correct. Luke was nowhere in the base. And when Han realized this, he immediately went out in search for his friend in the freezing weather, ignoring the warnings that both he and his tauntaun would not survive the extreme cold.

R2 was unwilling to give up, and he stood at the entrance to the base, trying to get a reading on his missing master.  _"Master Luke, where are you?"_

Concerned for his friend, 3PO walked over. "You must come along now, R2, there's really nothing more we can do. And my joints are freezing up."

But R2 couldn't bring himself to leave. While he was usually optimistic, his calculations for survival were far too low.  _"At this rate, we'll never see him again."_

"Don't say things like that!" 3PO scolded, refusing to believe that. "Of course we'll see Master Luke again."

" _No,"_  R2 lamented.

"And he'll be quiet alright. You'll see."

" _He won't."_

Hearing the usually always optimistic R2 speak so negatively was far too much for 3PO to bear, and he turned to leave. "Stupid neutral old circuit. He'll be quite alright."

" _Master Luke,"_  R2 pleaded into the distance,  _"please, come back safe."_

But the declining temperature soon reached levels so low that it would even become dangerous for those inside if the doors remained open. Ordered to come inside, R2 reluctantly left his post. He gave his report to 3PO to give to Leia since she could not understand his beeps and tweets, providing one small measure of hope of how his range was too weak to give up on Luke and Han.

Yet as the shield doors were closed, he also felt the need to provide the odds of human survival in the ice cold over night.  _"The chances of survival are 725 to one."_

3PO translated as the doors began to shut. Overhearing, Chewie rested his head against a pole, thinking about his friend.  _"Han…"_

Sharing in his despair, R2 turned to the closing door.  _"Master Luke. General Han."_

Leia watched as the doors slid shut, trying to maintain her composure, doing a much better job than Chewie. Almost as if the sound of them closing was news of his friends' deaths, an agonized cry escaped the Wookiee.  _"Noooo!"_

" _They'll die,"_  R2 said miserably.

Noting the despair in the room, 3PO tried to give Leia hope. "Actually, R2 has been known to make mistakes… from time to time."

There was nothing more he could do. And as he returned to R2's side, the astromech droid looked at him miserably.  _"Master Luke, he's…"_

"Don't worry about Master Luke," 3PO told him, for once taking R2's role of being the positive one of the two.

" _But…"_

"I'm sure he'll be alright, he's quite clever, you know."

" _But…"_

"For a human being."

" _I guess so, but…"_

A few feet away, Chewie was inconsolable.  _"Han… Han…"_

But it turned out that fortune, or the Force, was in their favor. At first light, a search party had been sent out, and both Han and Luke were found alive and well. At least Han was. Luke was in bad shape, having been attacked by a wampa and nearly freezing to death. Yet with the medical facilities available, he was soon on his way to making a full recovery. And as soon as he was well enough, the two droids went to pay him a visit.

"Master Luke, sir," 3PO exclaimed joyfully, "it's so good to see you fully functional again."

The boy gave him a smile. "Thanks, 3PO."

R2 came rolling up.  _"Glad to have you back, Master."_

"R2 expresses his relief also," 3PO told him.

They were soon joined by Han, who was as cocky as ever. "How ya feeling, kid?"

Chewie was right behind him. _"Hey."_

The older man examined Luke's injuries. "You don't look so bad to me."

" _True enough,"_  the Wookiee agreed.

"In fact, you look strong enough to pull ears off a Gundark."

" _Yeah."_

Luke gave his friend a grateful look. "Yeah, thanks to you."

Han smugly held up two fingers. "That's two you owe me, junior."

" _And counting,"_  his partner joked.

Feeling on a roll, Han turned his arrogance on Leia, who was also in the room, attempting to get a rise out of her. Predictably, she rose to the bait, and it wasn't long before she threw an insult his way. "I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain."

A chuckle escaped Chewie, and Han glared at this act of betrayal. "Laugh it up fuzz ball."

" _Come on,"_  the Wookiee grumbled.

It was practically routine. Teasing, banter, arguments, name calling, each attempting to push the others' buttons. Ever so often, they would hit the right on and really set the other off. And as Han made a comment that was a little too close to home, Leia unleashed a stream of insults at the smuggler turned war hero. "Why you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy looking, nerf herder!"

Yet within that flurry of insults, there was only one that Han took offense to. "Who's scruffy looking?"

Off to the side, R2 shook his head.  _"Human mating rituals."_

Turning to Luke, Han made a comment that both continued to ruffle Leia's feathers and stake his claim on the princess to the former farm boy. "Almost hit pretty close to the mark to get her riled up like that, huh, kid?"

Everyone in the room looked back at the princess, eager for her response. Leia's fury was set to burst, but she was unwilling to lose her dignity, and so she attacked Han in a way that would seriously damage his pride. "Well, I guess you don't know everything about women yet."

To emphasize her point, she kissed Luke full on the lips. That certainly wiped the smirk off Han's face. Her actions did far more damage than any use of words for physical violence could have, and Han was left speechless.

" _Whoa, that's harsh,"_  Chewie muttered as he watched the two kiss.

Pulling away, Leia gave Han an arrogant look and walked away. Ever since she and Luke had met, there had been an instant connection between them. She wasn't sure what it was, and he seemed to be just as in the dark as her, but it was definitely a love of some kind. What kind of love, neither were sure, both far too inexperienced to know what they were feeling. All that they knew was that there was something between them, and Han was involved in it, making the two friends rivals for the princess' affections. This had made Leia's kiss the perfect method to knock Han down.

" _She really put you in your place, pal,"_  Chewie told his friend.

Han glanced at the Wookiee in disapproval, Han prepared to take his leave. "Take it easy."

As he and Chewie turned to leave, 3PO decided to give his master time to recuperate. "Excuse us, please."

" _See you later, Master Luke,"_  R2 called as he followed his golden friend.

The former two soon found themselves in the communications room where the rebels were trying to figure out what it was they were picking up on their scopes. Whatever it was, it was metal, and it was sending out transmissions they couldn't identify. Fortunately, with 3PO being fluent in over six million forms of communications, as he was happy to constantly remind them, he confirmed that the transmissions were not used by the Republic and could in fact be an Imperial code.

"It isn't friendly, whatever it is," Han decided. "Come on, Chewie, let's check it out."

" _Right,"_  the Wookiee was quick to agree.

They immediately went in search of whatever was trespassing and soon came across the Empire's Viper probe droid. It floated along, emitting a series of Imperial code on everything around it. Knowing they had to be careful, the human and Wookiee took places on either side of the droid, using the snow for cover.

"Hey, here!" Chewie called.

The probot turned to him and immediately fired. It was all the motivation Han needed as he jumped up from his hiding place and fired at it. The droid turned to him and fired back. Han hit it a second time, and the probot exploded.

Chewie poked his head up from his hiding spot.  _"Hey, why'd it blow?"_

Han had been wondering that as well, as his blaster should not have done that much damage. The only conclusion he could come to was that it had self-destruct. He reported this in, and received confirmation from Leia that the probot was an Imperial probe droid.

"It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

THE BATTLE ON HOTH

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Thanks to the Viper probe droid, the Empire did indeed get a reading on the rebel base. Yet it had almost been overlooked had it not been for Darth Vader. The Dark Side of the Force spoke to him, telling him that this was indeed the rebel base they were searching for, and he ordered a full-scale attack.

The rebels knew the Empire was coming, and were already preparing for their departure. Han and Chewie had been ready to leave since before they knew the Empire was coming, but the damage the Falcon had sustained in its last battle had prevented them from doing so.

"Good!" he called to Chewie in the cockpit. "That's it!"

" _Done?"_  the Wookiee called back.

"Try it!"

Chewie fired up the Falcon, and a cloud of smoke and a shower of sparks went flying, mostly around where Han was making repairs

" _Yikes!"_  Chewie cried in surprise.

"Whoa! Turn it off, turn it off!"

" _I'm trying!"_

So it seemed repairs weren't done. But they were running out of time. The Empire was coming soon. Several rebels were going out to try and hold them off, of which Luke was amongst. But not before saying goodbye to his friends.

"Chewie," he said, going up to the Wookiee.

" _Yeah?"_

"Take care of yourself, ok."

He patted his friend on the shoulder and turned to say goodbye to Han, but was suddenly embraced from behind by the Wookiee in a rare display of affection.  _"You too. I'll miss you. Really, man."_

"Ok, ok," Luke laughed.

" _See you."_

Hearing the commotion, Han put his repairs on hold. "Hi, kid."

Beside him, a repair droid reported,  _"There still isn't power."_

Understanding the droid's language, he motioned towards the other side. "There's got to be a reason for it. Check it at the other end."

" _Yes, sir."_

On second thought, Han wanted to oversee the repairs himself, but after he bid his friend goodbye. "Wait a second."

" _Yes, sir. Standing by."_

He looked back at Luke. "You alright?"

The former farm boy nodded. "Yeah."

" _Standing by,"_  the droid reminded Han.

Han ignored it as he and Luke stared at each other, knowing this may be the last time they saw each other, both having too much left unsaid and no time to say it in.

"Be careful," the former smuggler pleaded.

Luke offered him a smile; it was all he could do. "You too."

As he hurried away, Chewie looked up at his friend questioningly, wondering if this was what he really wanted.  _"Han?"_

The former smuggler could only give him a look of regret in response. And there would be great deal more regret if they didn't escape from the base before the Empire arrived. But they were quickly running out of time. The Empire was already on the planet, and the lookouts reported what they saw.

"We've spotted Imperial Walkers."

R2 heard the report, and was none too thrilled.  _"AT-ATs? Not good."_  The footsteps from the massive machines shook the ground, and snow from the ceiling dropped onto the astromech droid's head.  _"Hey, what was that?"_

The trembling only got worse as the AT-ATs got closer. Han and Chewie knew they were almost out of time and quickly raced to finish their repairs.

" _Red connects to blue right?"_  Chewie asked.

"No, no!" Han shouted. His patience was almost at an end, and he hurried over to the Wookiee.

" _What then?"_

"This one goes there, that one goes there. Right?"

" _Right."_

But while the two if them were having trouble trying to leave, R2 was preparing for his own takeoff with Luke for when he came back from battle. 3PO quickly hurried over to wish his friend luck as the astromech droid was lifted up into his cockpit. "R2, you take good care of Master Luke now. Understand?"

" _Of course, don't always?"_  was the cheeky droid's response.

"And do take good care of yourself."

" _This is nothing compared to the Death Star,"_  R2 assured him.  _"We'll be fine."_

Or so he claimed, but things were not looking good outside. The Empire was getting closer. Fortunately, most of the rebels had made their escape. Even Han finally managed to finish the repairs on the Falcon, or at least repair it as much as he was able to. But he couldn't leave, not without first making sure Leia was safe.

But the battle above ground had reached its conclusion. Under heavy firepower, the base went up in a fiery explosion. The resulting blast caused several of the underground tunnels to collapse, and a pile of snow and ice blocked off the route to Leia's ship. Han quickly reported that he would get her out on the Falcon and they raced for the hopefully functioning ship.

" _Come on, quick!"_  Chewie called to them as he spotted them coming.

3PO barely made it on before the door closed behind him. There was no time to waste. Darth Vader himself, with a group of Snowtroopers, were making their way through the remains of the base. And through the guidance of the Force, he was heading straight for the Falcon.

" _It's not working,"_  Chewie cried as he received a face full of steam.

"How's this?" Han asked as he fiddled around with the controls.

"Would it help if I got out and push?" Leia asked sarcastically.

Han gave her an irritable look. "It might."

3PO came hurrying over, attempting to add his input, but Chewie spoke over him.  _"No! No power!"_

"Sir," 3PO tried again, "might I suggest that you…" He trailed off as Han held up a warning finger. "It can wait."

As the captain raced into the cockpit, Leia quickly joined him. "This bucket of bolts will never get us past that blockade."

"It's still got a few surprises left in her, sweetheart," Han told her, having the utmost confidence in his ship. He proved his point by open firing on the Snowtroopers, but to actually fly out of here, he needed his first mate. "Come on, come on!"

" _Coming!"_  Chewie cried.

They attempted to fire up the ship, and were beyond relieved when it started. The sound was sweet music to Han's ears, and his smugness returned. "See!"

" _See,"_  Chewie echoed.

Leia had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "Some day you're going to be wrong, and I just hope I'm going to see it."

Han ignored her as he continued firing at the Snowtroopers while preparing for takeoff. "Punch it!"

" _Right!"_  Chewie exclaimed.

Moments later, they were off. Darth Vader arrived just in time to witness the Falcon make it's escape. And as he walked back to his X-Wing, Luke was relieved to see his friend's ship disappear into the sky. Now he just had to worry about himself.

"R2!" he called.

The astromech droid piloted the ship himself over to him.  _"I'm here! Ready Master Luke."_

"Get here ready for take off."

" _Affirmative."_  He pulled up beside him.  _"Quickly, Master, the Walkers are almost upon us."_

Luke climbed into the pilot's seat. "Don't worry, R2 we're going. We're going."

" _Preparing for liftoff. Commencing now."_

They were soon off, leaving the cold atmosphere and entering the coldness of space. But as they flew from the planet, R2 couldn't help but notice that they were heading in a different direction from where they were supposed to go.  _"What's wrong?"_

Plugged into the ship's computer, R2's words were translated and placed upon the screen for Luke to read. "There's nothing wrong, R2. Just setting a new course."

" _But what about the randevu point?"_

"We're not gonna regroup with the others."

" _Where we going?"_

"We're going to the Dagobah System."

" _Dagobah, are you sure?"_

Luke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, R2." He didn't fault the droid for his uncertainty, he too wasn't completely sure why he was going there.

While R2 didn't understand, he didn't argue.  _"I have the coordinates. Shall I navigate?"_

Luke smiled at the droid's loyalty and willingness to comply. "That's alright. I like to keep it on manual control for a while."

" _Well, if you insist."_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

THE MILLENNIUM FALCON

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While Luke and R2 had made a clean escape, those on the Millennium Falcon were not so lucky. A Star Destroyer and a few Fighters were in hot pursuit, firing upon the much smaller ship. A laser blasts struck the Falcon, shaking the occupants inside, but it didn't come from behind, but rather from one of the two other Destroyers coming towards them.

" _That was from those Destroyers!"_  Chewie reported.

"I saw 'em, I saw 'em," Han snapped impatiently. This was proving to be a very frustrating day, and as 3PO wandered in to try and say something, Han didn't have the patience to listen. "Shut him up, or shut him down!"

Another laser blast struck the ship, sending the protocol droid falling into Chewie, who pushed him away.  _"Move!"_

"Check the deflector shields," Han told him.

" _Fine!"_  the Wookiee growled, equally as impatient.

After some fancy maneuvering to avoid the three Star Destroyers, only the Fighters remained.

"Prepare to make the jump to light speed," Han ordered.

Chewie was glad to hear that.  _"Right."_

"But, sir!" 3PO tried again.

"They're getting closer," Leia said over him.

" _Ready,"_  Chewie reported.

Han's smugness was back again. "Oh yeah? Watch this."

He made the jump to light speed, only nothing happened. The sound of the hyperdrive starting up and then powering down was heard, yet the Falcon continued at its normal pace.

" _Huh?"_ Chewie blabbered.

"Watch what?" Leia demanded impatiently.

" _No power."_

Han didn't like the sound of that. All traces of smugness were now gone. "I think we're in trouble."

"If I may say so, sir," 3PO ventured, hoping the former smuggler would finally listen to him, "I noticed earlier that the hyperdrive motivator has been damaged. It's impossible to go to light speed."

Chewie looked to his captain for answers.  _"Han?"_

"We're in trouble!" he confirmed, and jumped to go checked. He immediately set to work, trying to identify the problem. "Horizontal boosters?

" _Fine!"_  the Wookiee called back.

"Alluvial dampers?"

" _Not sure. Hold on."_

"Oh! That's not it. Bring me the Hydrospanner."

Chewiee rushed to bring Han the toolbox.  _"Coming,"_

While Han usually prided himself on getting out of sticky situations, he made a confession to his hairy friend. "I don't know how we're going to get out of this one." He ducked down to make more repairs, but the shaking of the ship from another impact caused the toolbox to fall down on his head. "OW! Chewie!"

" _What?"_  the Wookiee complained. The ship shook again.  _"Impact!"_

Han knew his ship like the back of his hand. He'd been in several battles, and he knew what it felt like when the Falcon took on fire. "That wasn't a laser blast. Something hit us."

Leia's voice came out over the intercom. "Han, get up here!"

The former smuggler knew right away that there was a serious problem. "Come on, Chewy!"

" _Coming."_

They raced back into the pilot station, and Leia quickly reported, "Asteroids."

" _Great,"_  Chewie grumbled.

But Han took this as good news. By his logic, only a crazy person would actually fly into an asteroid field, thus the Empire would be crazy to follow them, especially in their much larger Star Destroyers.

But apparently, they were crazy, or at least the Fighters were, but even they were unable to avoid the asteroids for, as 3PO stated, the odds of successfully navigating through an asteroid field were 3,720 to one.

" _Whoa!"_  Chewie cried as they had a close call.

"Look!" 3PO cried fearfully.

" _Whoa!"_

Han was beginning to regret his decision of coming in here, and even had the nerve to admit as much to Leia. But then he got an idea. "I'm going in closer to one of the big ones."

Leia was certain she heard him wrong. "Closer?!"

"Closer?!" 3PO echoed.

" _Closer?!"_  Though Chewie was just as shocked by his friend's boldness, he didn't argue, and zoomed in to one of the massive meteors.  _"Coming in."_

But they still had an Imperial problem. Two Fighters were still after them, and were proving to be very difficult to shake.

"There, that looks pretty good," Han half said to himself as he spotted a large tunnel big enough for them to fly into.

" _Ok,"_  Chewie agree as he and Han brought the downward.

Leia sighed as they descended into darkness. "I hope you know what you're doing?"

" _Yeah,"_  Chewie quietly agreed.

Han didn't argue. "Yeah, me too."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

DEGOBAH

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" _Here?"_  R2 asked as they flew over the swamp world.

"Yup, that's it," Luke confirmed. "Degobah."

" _Are you sure? We can go back?"_

Luke understood his hesitation, but he was adamant. "No, I'm not gonna change my mind about this." He checked his readings. "I'm not picking up any cities or technology. Massive life form readings though. There's something alive down there."

Not liking the idea of being in a world that lacked technology but was filled with unknown organic life, R2 was somewhat concerned for his own wellbeing.  _"Is it safe for droids?"_

Luke chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure it's perfectly safe for droids."

He brought the X-Wing down. It was a rather surprisingly difficult entry that shook the whole ship, making R2 nervous.  _"Danger. We're skipping on the planet's atmosphere. There's too much fog. Can't get a visual."_

"I know, I know," Luke replied. "All the scopes are dead; I can't see a thing. Just hold on. I'm gonna start the landing cycle."

" _To land without visual is very dangerous!"_

The lower they flew, the harder it became to see as a thick fog surrounded them. Tree branches and other forms of vegetation smacked against the windshield, becoming visible in the fog only moments before hitting the ship. Luck, it seemed, was on their side, as it was a watery impact rather than solid ground that met them when they finally reached the planet's surface.

If R2 could breathe, he would have sighed in relief.  _"Safe landing. Close call."_  He looked around, quickly assessing the situation.  _"Looks like we're stuck. Can't take off here."_ The cockpit opened and Luke climbed out. The astromech droid looked to him for instructions.  _"So what's the plan? We might need help."_  He began climbing out of his spot as Luke walked along the wing of his ship.  _"Best search the area."_

"No, R2, you stay put. I'll have a look around."

R2 wished he had told him that before he climbed out, because the X-Wing began to wobble.  _"Careful, the ship's not stable. Uh oh!"_

Falling off the ship, he splashed down into the swamp water. It was deep, too deep for the astromech droid, and he vanished beneath the surface.

"R2, where are you?" Luke called, unable to see in the murky water. "R2?"

From out of the water, a periscope rose up from out of the water and looked around. With it came the little droid's gurgled beeping.  _"Hello, I'm here."_

A relieved look crossed Luke's face that shifted to one of disapproval. "You be more careful." He watched as, humming happily, the astromech droid began making his way towards shore. "R2," he pointed, "that way."

Still humming, R2 headed in the direction. With no other option, Luke hopped into the water as well and headed for land. Later, both would realize that they had behaved rather foolishly. They should have realized that there could be several predators lurking in the water. Unbeknownst to the two of them, a hungry dragonsnake was making its way towards them.

Coming up behind R2, the large predator latched onto the astromech droid.  _"Hey, Master, help! I'm-"_

"R2!" Luke cried, pointing his gun at the spot his little friend had disappeared. The water was still with the exception of some bubbles rising to the surface. Luke got as close as he dared, but could see nothing.

A short distance away, an aggravated groan from the dragonsnake was heard just before it spat out R2, sending the droid flying onto dry land.  _"WHOA! This is will hurt!"_ Luke hurried over to where R2 landed, finding his friend stuck upside-down on some tree roots.  _"Help! Help! I'm stuck!"_

"Oh, no," Luke grumbled.

" _Get me up!"_  R2 wailed.

"Are you alright?"

" _I think so."_

Luke strained to lift the droid, who was heavier than he looked. "Come on. You're lucky you don't taste very good."

" _Yeah."_

"Anything broken?"

R2 did a quick scan of his systems.  _"No, all functions are normal. Mostly."_

With a sigh, Luke looked around at the swampland. "You think coming here was a bad idea. I'm beginning to agree with ya."

In a bad mood at having been eaten, R2 couldn't help but rub it in.  _"See, I told you so."_

A feeling of despair suddenly hit Luke and he dropped down beside the astromech droid. "Oh, R2, what are we doing here?"

" _You wanted to come,"_  R2 reminded him.

Luke tried to think back to why he wanted to come. He was half dead and delusional at the time. He'd thought he heard Obi-Wan speak to him before, but was doubtful. Was it really within the old Jedi's ability to somehow speak to him from the other side? "It's like… something out of a dream, or…"

" _Or? What?"_

With a sigh, he began rubbing mud and moss off his friend. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just going crazy."

A shower of muck and swamp water suddenly went spewing out of one of R2's compartments.  _"Foreign deposits, expelled."_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

BACK ON THE FALCON

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Within the depths of the massive asteroid, the crew of the Millennium Falcon were doing their best to stay hidden from the Empire's fleet that they knew was still outside. To remain even more inconspicuous, Han announced he was shutting off everything except for the emergency powers systems.

"Sir," 3PO ventured, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but does that include shutting me down too?"

"No, no," was Han's sarcastic reply. "I need you to talk to the Falcon. Find out what's wrong with the hyperdrive."

Before 3PO could ask if he was joking, the entire ship shook.

" _Hey, what's happening?"_  Chewie exclaimed.  _"Whoa!"_

When the shaking finally stopped, 3PO stated the obvious. "Sir, it might be possible that this asteroid is not entirely stable."

That was it. Han's patience with the droid had reached its end. "Not entirely stable? Well, I'm glad you're here to tell us these things. Chewie, take the professor in the back and plug him into the hyperdrive."

" _Gladly."_

Complaining all the while, 3PO allowed himself to be led out of the room. A few moments later, the ship shook again, sending Leia crashing into Han, who rushed to catch her. And so began the first of several intimate encounters between the two as they laid low and waited for the Empire to pass by.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

BACK ON DEGOBAH

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Unaware of his friends' predicaments, Luke retrieved what he could from his X-Wing and brought it to land. He had set up camp a short distance away where R2 waited for him.

" _Here!"_  the little droid called as Luke walked over carrying his supplies.  _"You got it, Master?"_  He watched as Luke took out a power generator.  _"Is that for me?"_

Luke gave the droid a smile. "Ready for some power?"

" _I sure am."_

"Ok. Lets see now." He began searching for the droids' outlet.

" _Hey, that tickles,"_  R2 chuckled. Then he felt power began to flow into him as Luke plugged him in. It was the equivalent of an organic life form eating a meal.  _"Ah!"_

"There you go."

" _Thank you."_

Sighing, Luke looked around. "Now all I gotta do is find this Yoda, if he even exists."

" _I'm sure you'll find him,"_  R2 encouraged.

Taking a seat, Luke took out his own meal. "Really strange place to find a Jedi master."

R2 thought back to all the strange places he'd been to in his life.  _"I've seen worse."_

"This place gives me the creeps."

" _Yeah, me too."_

But as Luke looked around, an unusual feeling overcame him. It felt similar to how he felt when tapping into the Force. "Still… there's something familiar about this place."

" _I think that's a good sign."_

"I don't know. I feel like…"

Seemingly from out of nowhere, a new voice suddenly joined the conversation. "Feel like what?"

" _HOLY!"_  R2 shrieked in surprise.  _"Where did he come from?"_

Also startled, Luke whirled around and pointed his blaster. Behind him was a small green creature wearing old raggedy clothes that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Yelping, the creature raised an arm, covering its face fearfully.

"Like we're being watched," Luke finished.

"Away put your weapon!" the creature pleaded. "I mean you know harm." It peaked out from behind his arm. "I am wondering, why are you here?"

Luke quickly assessed that there was no threat and lowered his blaster. "I'm looking for someone."

All traces of fear vanished from the creatures face as it took on a cheerful persona. "Looking? Find someone you have, I would say! Hmm?"

Luke smiled in amusement. "Right."

As the creature 'invited' himself to join in at Luke's camp, R2 took him in. He recognized Jedi Master Yoda. He'd aged some more since he saw him last, but he knew it was him. However, he was behaving very differently from what R2 remembered. He knew that the old Jedi was nearly 900 years old, and he wondered if his isolated time in exile had finally made him senile.

Waltzing over to the camp, Yoda picked up what Luke was eating and took a bite. Still not understanding what was up with the old Jedi Master, R2 immediately protested.  _"Hey, that's Master's food! Don't eat that! I don't care who you are! Don't steal!"_

"Hey, that's my dinner!" Luke objected, snatching it away.

Yoda began coughing in disgust. "How you get so big eating food of this sort?"

The problems only persisted from there. As Luke grew more and more frustrated with the old Jedi's antics, R2 became more and more confused as Yoda began rummaging through Luke's supplies.  _"Master, he's going through your stuff! He's still trying to steal! He must be senile!"_

"Oh, don't do that," Luke pleaded, praying for patience.

" _Geez, what happened to him?"_  R2 wondered out loud.

Luke looked around at everything Yoda had thrown around. "Oh, you're making a mess."

Finding a miniature power lamp, Yoda began playing with it happily. R2 just couldn't figure out what was going on with him.  _"Is he doing this on purpose?"_

Luke reached for the light in Yoda's hand. "Hey, give me that."

"Mine!" Yoda snapped. "Or I will help you not."

" _What's up with you?"_  R2 demanded. From what he remembered, Jedi had no material possessions, and they always aided others without requiring payment.

Meanwhile, Luke was trying very hard not to shout at his annoying uninvited guest. "I don't want your help. I want my lamp back. I'm gonna need it to get out of this slimy mud hole."

Yoda gave him an outraged look. "Mud hole? Slimy? My home this is!"

Sneakily, R2 reached out with a mechanical claw and attempted to pull the lamp out of Yoda's hand.  _"Give me that! Give it back. Give it!"_

Yoda began fighting R2 for possession of the light while Luke decided that it wasn't worth it. "R2, let him have it."

" _No, I got it."_

Picking up a stick, Yoda began hitting the astromech droid with it. "Mine! Mine! Mine!"

" _Let go! It's not yours!"_

"R2!" Luke scolded.

He let go of the light.  _"Fine. Keep it. I can't compute this. It defies logic."_

Luke then tried to rid them of the little creature, but Yoda refused to leave, insisting that he would help Luke find his friend. And when Luke revealed who he was looking for, things took an interesting turn. "Yoda. You seek Yoda."

Now Luke was suddenly very interested in what the creature had to say. As R2 wondered why Yoda was pretending to be someone else, the little creature stated that he would bring Luke to the Jedi Master after dinner and invited him to his home.

Luke was hesitant to trust the strange creature, but he had nothing else to go on. "R2."

" _Yes, sir?"_

"Stay and watch the camp."

He got up and followed the small green creature, leaving R2 behind, and the astromech droid was not happy about it.  _"Stay here? Really? You're going with him? Come on, don't leave me here alone! What if I get eaten again?"_

As Luke disappeared into the foggy swamp, R2 began to wonder where his golden friend was; maybe the protocol droid could figure out the Jedi Master's behavior. Ironically, 3PO was wondering the same thing as he, Han, and Chewie attempted to repair the Falcon's hyperdrive.

"Oh, where is R2 when I need him," the protocol droid grumbled. He turned to the captain. "Sir, I don't know where your ship learned to communicate, but it uses the most peculiar dialect. I believe, sir, it says the power coupling on the negative access has been pulverized. I'm afraid you'll have to replace it."

Han went to check. "Well, of course I'll have to replace it," he stated impatiently, as if this should have been obvious. He walked over to Chewie, handing him some wires. "Here."

The Wookiee reached down from the ceiling compartments and took them.  _"Thanks."_

"And, Chewie?"

" _Yeah?"_

Han glanced at 3PO to make sure he wasn't listening before lowering his voice. "I think we better replace the negative coupling."

" _Right."_

3PO glanced at Han as the former smuggler went to check on Leia and the repairs she was making. With the two of them in a tightly confined space, sexual tension ran high, leading to the most intimate encounter between the two yet, where Leia was forced to face her own feelings. It soon led to the first kiss between the two of them. That is, until 3PO interrupted them, completely ruining the moment.

As Leia made her escape from Han and her feelings, the former smuggler did his best to keep his temper in check. With the way 3PO kept ruining things between them, the protocol droid might as well melt himself down and be fashioned into a chastity belt for the princess.

But while things weren't exactly going according to plan on the Falcon, things were a little better off for Luke at Yoda's house. As the rain came down, R2 grew tired of waiting and had followed Yoda and Luke's trail to the Jedi Master's small residence.

" _Master?"_  He peaked through the window.  _"What's going on in there? Are they training?"_

As it turned out, they were. The whole point of Yoda's act was a test of patience for Luke, one he failed at. But as Yoda came to the decision that Luke was not cut out to be a Jedi, Obi-Wan spoke to them through the Force, eventually convincing the old Master that Luke did indeed have what it took to be a Jedi.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

WITHIN THE ASTEROID

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As Luke began his training, Leia was lost in her own thoughts as she contemplated her feelings for Han; feelings she had not admitted to anyone, not even herself, until the moment they had kissed.

Yet her thoughts had been interrupted by a strange flying creature outside of the Falcon. Having no idea what it was, she had run back to Han. "There's something out there."

Han removed his safety goggles. "Where?"

"Outside in the cave."

The unknown creature chose that moment to reveal itself as the sound of whatever it was doing echoed through the ship.

3PO once again panicked. "There it is! Listen, listen!"

" _I heard it too,"_  Chewie stated.

Han tossed aside his goggles. "I'm going out there."

"Are you crazy?" Leia cried.

"I just got this bucket back together. I'm not gonna let something tear it apart."

He grabbed a breathing mask and stormed out. Leia grabbed one as well and followed, as did Chewie.  _"Wait for me."_

3PO was left all alone while everyone went to investigate, and he was just fine with that. "I think it might be better if I stay here and guard the ship."

But as the ramp lowered and the crewmembers exited, they could tell that something was off right away. Leia was the first to voice her opinion. "This ground sure feels strange."

" _It does,"_  Chewie agreed.

"It doesn't feel like rock."

But their main concern wasn't the unusual texture of the asteroid, but of whatever was living in the cave. And Han suddenly spotted it hanging on the ship. "Watch out!" He opened fired, blasting the creature off the ship. "It's alright! It's alright."

Chewie came running over to investigate. "Han! What was it?"

Taking a look at the dead creature, Han saw that his suspicions were right. "Yeah, what I thought. Mynocks. Chewie check the rest of ship, make sure there are no more attached."

" _More?"_  the Wookiee asked uneasily.

"Chewing on the power cables," he told Leia when he noted her confused look.

"Mynocks?" she repeated.

"Go on inside. We'll clean 'em off if there are any more."

There were, quite a few. And they went on the attacked, or at least were attempting to frighten away the Falcon's crewmembers.

" _There's more!"_  Chewie cried as the flying creatures fluttered about.  _"Scram!"_

As the Wookiee fired, a roar echoed through the cave and the asteroid trembled. Suddenly, a horrible realization occurred to Han, and pieces of the puzzle began falling into place. "Wait a minute…"

Hoping he was wrong, he fired at the ground. Another roar echoed through the cave, and the entire asteroid began shaking again, more violently than ever. Horror filled Han as he struggled to keep his balance and quickly rushed to the ramp. Leia was right behind him, and Chewie behind her.  _"Wait for me!"_

Pushing past 3PO, Han rushed for the controls. "Power up, Chewie, lets get out of here!"

" _Going!"_  Chewie cried, running to his station.

Leia came up behind him, ready to argue. "The Empire is still out there! I don't think it's wise to-"

"No time to discuss this in a committee!" Han interrupted as the asteroid continued to rock around.

"I am not a committee!"

" _Hurry!"_  Chewie shouted as Han stumbled into the cockpit, Leia right behind him.

"You can't make the jump to light speed in this asteroid field!" she told him just before another violent spasm sent her tumbling into the Wookiee, who grunted as she crashed into him.

There was no time to argue. "Sit down, sweetheart, we're taking off!"

The ship took off and began speeding down the cave, which, now that Leia thought about it, was oddly shaped. It was one long smooth tunnel, no twists, no turns, no stalactites, no stalagmites, just one long straight line. And at the end of it was something alarming.

" _There!"_ Chewie cried.

"Look!" 3PO shouted as well.

Han's suspicions were confirmed in the worst way. "I see it! I see it!"

"We're doomed!"

Leia couldn't believe what she was seeing. "The cave is collapsing?"

Han hated to break it to her, but…"This is no cave."

"What?!"

The ship flew between the giant teeth of the space worm and out of its mouth. Spotting the ship, the giant worm snapped at it, as the Falcon flew away from the enormous meteor and back into the asteroid field.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

TRAINING WITH YODA

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Days went by, and Luke improved more and more. Yoda's training was tough, tougher than anything Luke had ever gone through, yet his skills came to him quite naturally. Yoda had expected as much. Being the son of the Chosen One, Luke was very powerful with the Force, but his skills had never been harnessed aside from what Obi-Wan had taught him and what he had managed to teach himself.

Being so potentially powerful, Yoda knew the danger the Dark Side presented to him, and he was currently lecturing him on the dangers of it.

Overhearing the Jedi Master's teachings, R2 became concerned with what he was hearing.  _"Dark Side? Oh no."_

Luke was equally as concerned with what he was hearing about the Dark Side, especially when Yoda mentioned how Vader fell prey to it. Yoda was quick to confirm that the Dark Side was not stronger than the Light Side, however, it was quicker, easier, and more seductive.

Luke tried to question Yoda on the ways of the Force, already proving that the Dark Side was tempting him by having him seek knowledge he was not ready for. "Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions."

Luke was dissatisfied, but did not question his master. He placed Yoda, who had been riding on his back on the ground and went to retrieve his jacket while R2 looked on.  _"Master, are you ok? You look tired."_

But as Luke prepared to end his training for the day, he sensed something. A dark power in the Force. It wasn't a coincidence that Yoda had ended things here. He had brought Luke this this very spot for a reason. For in this place grew a gnarltree with a cave leading beneath it. This particular tree had been grown purely from Midi-chlorians by the will of the Dark Side of the Force. It was a place of great evil.

And Yoda wanted him to go into the cave that led beneath the tree. Not only that, but he didn't want Luke to take his weapons. But while Luke trusted his master, he was still skeptical about many things, and decided to bring his lightsaber with him anyway.

R2 may not have been able to sense the Force, but even he could detect that there was something very wrong with the place his master was walking into, and he emitted a stream of protests.  _"Master, wait! Something's wrong! Don't go in there! It's a bad place! Please, come back!"_

Luke couldn't understand the droid, but it didn't take much to figure out what he was saying. Yet Luke heeded his own master's orders to venture in further, glad he didn't take the old Jedi's advice to not bring his weapons with him.

And it was a good thing he did too, for within the cave beneath the tree was none other than Darth Vader himself.

Or so Luke believed. But upon decapitating the Sith Lord, it was his own face that he saw within the mask. It was not the real Vader at all, but a vision showed to him by the Force. Luke realized it was a message of some kind, yet he was completely clueless as to what it meant.

Yoda knew. He also knew that Luke was not ready for the burden the truth would bring. R2, however, was able to read the distress on the old Jedi's face. Though he was sworn to secrecy, he was not in favor of keeping the truth a secret any longer.  _"Master Yoda, how much longer are we going to keep him in the dark?"_

The old Jedi simply looked away.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

LEAVING THE ASTROID FIELD

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"Oh, thank goodness we're coming out of the asteroid field," 3PO sighed.

It was indeed a relief to everyone. Now if only they could shake the Empire. But the Star Destroyer had picked up their signal almost right away and open fired on them.

" _We're hit!"_  Chewie cried as a laser blast shook the ship.

Han was very much aware, and he was eager to leave this party behind. "Lets get out of here. Ready for light speed?"

" _Yes."_

"One."

" _One."_

"Two."

" _Two."_

"Three!"

" _Three."_ He started up the hyperdrive, but instead of a blur of stars passing by, there was just the sound of engine failure.  _"Nothing… Nothing…"_

As Leia looked away in disappointment, Han stared at the controls n disbelief. "This is not fair…"

" _Not fair?!"_  Chewie raged furiously, and began shaking his fist at his so-called captain.  _"You said repairs were complete! AHH!"_

Han checked the controls and quickly found the problem. "Transfer circuits are overworked!"

" _Not fair…"_  Chewie repeated in despair.

"It's not my fault," Han insisted like a child.

"No light speed?" Leia asked, unimpressed.

"It's not my fault," the former smuggler repeated.

Another laser blast shook the ship.  _"We're hit!"_  Chewie exclaimed.

Things were looking bad, and they got even worse as 3PO reported, "Sir, we just lost the main rear deflector shield! One more direct hit on the back port and we're done for!"

Han was getting desperate. And desperate ties called for desperate measures. "Turn her around."

Chewie was certain he hadn't heard right.  _"What?!"_

"I said turn her around! I'm gonna put all power on the front shield."

Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing either. Had he completely lost his mind? "You gonna attack them?!"

3PO was just as lost. The only conclusion he could come to was that the captain hadn't calculated their chances. "Sir, the odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer-"

"Shut up!" Leia herself snapped at him.

" _Yeah!"_  Chewie snarled in agreement. He still didn't understand, but he trusted his friend. And so the Falcon circled around and sped towards the massive Star Destroyer.

But as the Falcon's crewmembers continued to suffer from the ship's defective hyperdrive, Luke was having problems with his own ship. R2 noticed it first, his sensors detecting movement from the partially submerged X-Wing.  _"Wait, am I detecting movement?"_  He turned to the ship.  _"Is the ship moving? How can that be?"_

Luke hadn't noticed anything. He was focusing on his training, which, at the moment, consisted of standing on one hand while Yoda balanced on his foot. If that weren't difficult enough, he was using the Force to levitate rocks in the air and pile them on top of each other. It took a great deal of concentration, and Luke's was broken as R2's cries rang out.

" _Oh no! The ship! The ship! It's sinking! Master Luke, the ship is sinking! The ship is sinking! Do something! We have to do something! It's almost completely under!"_

Luke couldn't understand the droid, but he realized that something was wrong. He glanced at his little friend, seeing the ship behind him sinking below the surface. There must have been a cave in or something, because only the tip of his ship's wing was still above the surface. Panicking, Luke lost both his focus and his balance.

"Concentraaaaate!" Yoda cried as Luke fell over, causing the old Jedi to drop to the ground.

R2 internally winced as Luke toppled over.  _"Are you ok? The ship's gone under. It's almost completely submerged. Looks, there's not much time. We'll be stuck here."_

Luke hurried over to the waterside, looking at his X-Wing in despair. "Oh no, we'll never get it out now."

" _No…"_  R2 sadly agreed.

Yoda, however, was of a different opinion. "So certain are you?"

Both Luke and R2 looked back at him in surprise.  _"What?"_

Yoda shook his head and sighed at the boy's negativity. "Always with you, 'it cannot be done'."

" _That's harsh, sir,"_  R2 muttered.

"Hear you nothing that I say?" the Jedi Master asked in disappointment.

The astromech droid immediately picked up on what he meant, but was rather doubtful.  _"But it's a ship. It's far too big."_

Luke couldn't understand the droid, but he was of similar mind. "Master, moving stones around is one thing, this is  _totally_  different."

Yoda stomped his staff on the ground angrily. "No! No different! Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned."

It was one the very reason Jedi began training so young, so they learned the ways of the Force, to be able to do things non-Force Sensitive users could not do before they were taught it was not possible.

Luke's doubt was a prime example of this. "Alright, I'll give it a try."

"No!" Yoda snapped again. "No! Try not.  _Do_ , or  _do not_. There is no 'try'."

Luke stared at the old Jedi, contemplating his words. Looking back at the submerged X-Wing, he decided to put his faith in his master and in the Force. Closing his eyes, he reached out towards his ship, tapping into the Force, willing his X-Wing to lift up.

Bubbles floated to the surface around the wing of the ship. It rocked back and forth and slowly began to rise up. Yoda's eyes widened with pride at the display as R2 began to cheer.

" _It's moving! You're doing it, master! It's rising up! It's rising up! It's rising…"_  He trailed off as the ship slowly stopped rising and sank completely below the surface.  _"No… It's gone. No… Now what?"_

Yoda's ears drooped and he looked down, disappointment evident on his face. The boy had been doing so well too, but then he had begun to doubt himself, judging the ship by its size and what he himself was capable of rather than what he could do with the Force.

As the last of the ship disappeared beneath the murky water, Luke gloomily walked over to his faster and sat down in defeat. "I can't. It's too big."

"Size maters not," Yoda told him. "Look at me. Judge me by my size do you? Hmm? Hmm?" When Luke shook his head, the Jedi Master continued, his voice filled with the wisdom he had gained over his life. "And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and  _powerful_  ally it is. Life creates it. Makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminous beings are we." He pinched Luke's skin. "Not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you, me, the trees, the rocks, everywhere. Yes, even between the land and the ship."

Luke got to his feet, frustrated. He wanted to believe the old Jedi, he really did, but he just couldn't. "You want the impossible."

He walked away to sulk. The old Jedi let him go, sighing deeply as he turned his attention to the water. Raising a hand, he called upon the Force, and the water began to bubble and churn. Immediately, the X-Wing began to rise.

While Luke had stalked away, R2 had remained where he was, witnessing the small creature perform this marvel.  _"Master Luke, hurry, come back! The ship. Hey, Master Luke, come quick!"_

Luke irritably got to his feet at R2's insistent beeping. As he walked back over, he stopped in his tracks as he stared at his X-Wing floating in the air, slowly making its way back to shore.

" _Look, look!"_  R2 declared.  _"It's amazing! The power of the Force!"_ The ship continued on its way, now hovering over their heads.  _"I've never seen anything like this before…"_  Slowly, Yoda set the ship down, and both Luke and R2 stared in stunned disbelief.  _"Wow, he really did it. It's amazing. Just look. He moved the whole thing."_

Luke walked around his ship, looking it over. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This defied all logic, yet this small, ancient, feeble little creature had done something he never would have believed possible. Perhaps it had been the Force itself that had caused Luke's ship to crash into the swamp in the first place, just so he could witness this incredible feat to clear any doubts he might have had.

He hurried over to Yoda, trying to find the right words. "I don't… I don't believe it."

Yoda looked at him sadly. " _That_  is why you fail."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

ON THE BACK OF THE STAR DESTROYER

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Han Solo wasn't the smartest person around, but he was a real genius when it came to strategy. Most of the time. It hadn't been his plan to attack the Star Destroyer, just to get in the right position. And by right position, that meant attaching to the back of the giant ship.

3PO certainly thought it was crazy. "Captain Solo, this time you have gone too far!"

" _Quiet!"_

"No, I will not be quiet, Chewbacca! Why doesn't anyone listen to me?"

Han ignored them both as he took notice of the Empire's positions. "The fleet's beginning to break up."

" _Orders?"_  Chewie asked.

"Go back and stand by the manual release for the landing claw."

Chewie got up and headed to the back.  _"Right."_  He pushed past 3PO.  _"Get out of my way."_

3PO began to panic again and began calculating alternatives. "I really don't see how that is going to help. Surrender is a perfectly acceptable alternative in extreme circumstances. The Empire may gracious enough…"

Han, as well as Leia, had had enough of the protocol droid for now, and the latter reached over and turned him off.

"Thank you," Han breathed in relief. From there the two of them searched the system readouts for a nearby safe place where they could repair the hyperdrive. They'd been fleeing from the Empire for days now and needed a place to resupply and repair the ship.

Han eventually came upon a place he thought looked good; a Tibanna gas mining colony called Cloud City run by an old 'friend' named Lando Calrissian. He was a man that couldn't be trusted, but he had no love for the Empire.

It was as good as they were gonna get. So they detached from the Star Destroyer, hiding amongst the trash the giant ship deposited just before it jumped into light speed. The Millennium Falcon sped along towards their new destination, unaware of the ship that belonged to a certain bounty hunter following close behind.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

STILL TRAINING WITH YODA

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" _Master, you're doing so great!"_  R2 cheered as Luke levitated the equipment around them.  _"I'm impressed!"_

Yoda was as well. The boy was mastering his training very quickly, much faster than anyone else, even his father. Being the son of the Chosen One certainly had its perks. "Concentrate. Feel the Force flow. Yes."

Deciding to have a bit of fun, Luke decided to levitate R2 as well, surprising the droid.  _"Hey wait! Me too? Wow, this is cool. No jets."_

Yoda continued to offer encouragements as he spoke of the wonders the Force was capable of. "Yes, through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future, the past, old friends long gone."

Luke closed his eyes, reaching into the part of the Force Yoda spoke of, and was granted a vision. And what he saw horrified him more than anything. "Han…? Leia?!"

He lost his concentration, and everything he was levitating came crashing to the ground, including R2.  _"WHOA! Ow, geez. Be careful. I could have broken something."_

Yoda shook his head in disappointment. "Control! Control! You must learn control!"

" _Yes, really,"_  R2 pleaded as he righted himself.  _"Listen to him. For my sake. Sheesh."_

But Luke had more pressing concerns than his lack of control. He recounted his vision to Yoda of seeing Han and Leia suffering within a city of clouds. Yoda confirmed that this was the future he saw, but when Luke tried to get a more precise answer, the old Jedi could not give one to him, for the future was not definite and was always in motion, the slightest alteration changing the whole.

Luke was determined to go help them, but Yoda's warning halted him in his tracks. If he left now, he might indeed be able to save them, but if he did, he would destroy all they had fought and suffered for.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

ENTERING CLOUD CITY

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"Rather touchy, aren't they?" 3PO noted as two Storm IV Twin-Pod cloud cars flew around the Falcon issuing warnings, one even firing a warning shot.

"I thought you said you knew this person," Leia complained, referring to Lando.

Worry gripped Chewie.  _"He's still pissed at you for screwing him over!"_

Han looked slightly uneasy, but gave a half-shrug. "Well that was a long time ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about that."

Leia gave him a look of disbelief, wondering what that meant exactly. They continued on their way with the two cloud cars accompanying them, and finally got permission to land.

"Thank you," Han told them over the transmitter as Chewie breathed a sigh of relief. "Nothing to worry about. We go  _way_  back, Lando and me."

Leia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but couldn't resist muttering a sarcastic, "Who's worried?"

" _I am,"_  Chewie grumbled uneasily, looking at the cloud cars flying beside the Falcon. And as they landed on Platform 3-2-7, there was no one around to greet them. It made Chewie uncomfortable.  _"Han?"_

"Oh, no one to meet us," 3PO noted as they exited the ship.

Leia shared Chewie's sentiments. "I don't like this."

The sound of a door being opened drew their attention.  _"Look,"_ Chewie exclaimed. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation.  _"Han?"_

Trying to look braver than he felt, Han motioned towards the person walking towards them. "See. My friend."

Chewie was skeptical.  _"You sure?"_

Han motioned for him to come closer and lowered his voice. "Keep your eyes open, huh."

" _Han…"_  the Wookiee called after him uneasily as he went to meet his supposed friend.

It seemed that there was a reason to worry though. As Han called a greeting to the man known as Lando, he received only an insult in response, followed by an accusation. "You got a lot of guts coming here after what you pulled."

" _Oh, boy,"_  Chewie muttered, expecting the worst.

It turned out there was nothing to worry about after all, as it was just a joke on Lando's part. He was quite happy to see the former smuggler again and his hairy sidekick.

Chewie looked back at the others.  _"Ok."_

If 3PO were capable of smiling, he would have. "Well, he seems very friendly."

Leia, however, stared at Han's supposed friend with distrust. "Yes,  _very_  friendly."

Turning his attention to the Wookiee, Lando threw a greeting his way. "And how you doing, Chewbacca?"

" _Fine,"_  Chewie replied, walking over to the two.

"You still hanging around with this loser?"

" _Unfortunately."_

Then things took a rather awkward turn as Lando set eyes on Leia. His persona immediately changed from friendly to overly charming, a skill that he had obviously put into affect before. This time, however, it didn't seem to work as a slightly jealous Han led the princess away. Lando, however, wasn't one to give up so easily, and followed after them, not even noticing the protocol droid, or even hearing him.

"Hello, sir, I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations. My facilities are at your…"

3PO trailed off as Lando simply walked away, not taking his eyes off Leia.

" _Ha!"_  Chewie mocked, following the others while 3PO fumed.

As they walked along, Han and Lando caught up on old times. The latter began explaining how things worked in Cloud City, occasionally making a comment to try and impress Leia. Being a little slower than the others, 3PO fell behind, but as a door opened and a silver protocol droid walked out of the room, 3PO heard a familiar speech pattern from inside.

" _Repairs are almost complete."_

3PO glanced into the room curiously. "That sounds like an R2 unit in there."

There were certain droids that had speech patterns that were indistinguishable from one another. Certain astromech droids were among them, including R2-D2's model. And with the way he and 3PO kept miraculously finding their way to one another, he couldn't help but wonder if his little friend had somehow come here with Luke.

"Hello?" he called out, entering the room.

" _Authorized personnel only!"_  the unknown astromech droid cried back.  _"Do not enter!"_

3PO really should have headed the droid's warning, for as he marveled at the room's inner-workings, he came face to face with a Stormtrooper. A moment later, he was blasted to pieces.

Having heard the commotion, Chewie went back to investigate.  _"3PO?"_  he asked, attempting to look into the room, only to have the door slam shut on him.  _"Oh well."_

Turning away, he hurried to catch up with the others.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

LUKE DEPARTING DEGOBAH

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Luke had heeded his master's advice, but the image of Han and Leia suffering wouldn't leave him. He saw it every time he closed his eyes. It was more than he could bear. Yoda told him that he was to let go of worldly attachments, including those towards other people, but in this sense, Luke was too much like his father. He couldn't stand by while those he loved suffered.

So, despite Yoda's warnings, he prepared to depart. Even when Obi-Wan's spirit appeared to him, issuing the same warnings, Luke refused to listen. They told him of the dangers of falling prey to the Dark Side, especially at this point in his training, but not even this could sway Luke.

"R2," he said to the astromech droid.

" _Yes, sir?"_

"Fire up the converters."

" _Firing them now."_

Realizing that they would not be able to change his mind, and trying to force the issue would simply push him away, just as it had with Anakin, the two Jedi Masters could only give last minute advice just before Luke and R2 departed.

Yoda hung his head and sighed in despair as the ship took off. "Told you I did. Reckless is he. Now matters are worse."

Obi-Wan's spirit disappeared as he made his last hopeful claim. "That boy is our last hope."

"No," Yoda whispered, "there is another."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

CLOUD CITY

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Repairs were underway on the Millennium Falcon, this time with a full repair crew. Things were looking good, but Chewie realized that they needed certain parts, and he went to the smelting chamber to see if there was anything he could use.

" _Parts, parts,"_  he muttered.  _"Need some… Parts…"_

As he searched, a group of Ugnaughts were at work melting down a bunch of broken parts from ships and other machinery. And rolling in on the conveyor belt were the remains of a certain gold protocol droid.

One of the Ugnaughts picked up 3PO's head and examined it.  _"Broken droid,"_  it noted curiously.

This comment drew Chewie's attention. He recognized the broken remains of the missing droid and immediately made a grab for them before the Ugnaughts could toss them into the smelter.  _"Mine!"_

" _Hey, that's Cloud City property!"_  an Ugnaught declared, attempting to grab 3PO's torso from him.

" _Liar!"_  Chewie snarled, and turned to the Ugnaught that held the droid's head.  _"Give me that!"_

" _Quick catch!"_  the Ugnaught cried, tossing the head to its co-worker.

" _I said give me that head! Give it to me, or I'll rip yours off, you little creep!"_

After a small scuffle, he managed to retrieve all of 3PO's parts. Forgetting the spare parts for the Falcon he had gone to search for in the first place, he carried the protocol droid's remains to Han and Leia's room.  _"Look!"_

Leia got up and walked over to him. "What happened?"

He set down the box filled with 3PO.  _"I found him in a junk pile."_

Han wasn't sure he heard right. "Where?"

" _The dump."_

"You found him in a junk pile?"

Leia sighed. "What a mess. Chewie, you think you can repair him?"

The Wookiee shrugged, using the droid's arms for humor.  _"Er, I'll try."_

"Lando's got people who can fix him," Han offered.

Leia gave him a look of disapproval. "No thanks."

Chewie motioned towards the door.  _"Look."_

Right on cue, Lando himself walked in. "Am I interrupting anything?"

" _Well…"_  Chewie grumbled, setting to work on the droid.

"Not really," Leia finished for him.

" _Kinda,"_  the Wookiee admitted. Lando ignored him and immediately began to flirt with Leia again, which Chewie rolled his eyes to.  _"Oh, boy…"_

"Would you join me for a little refreshment?" Lando asked.

That immediately drew Chewie's attention.  _"Food?"_

Acting the role of a gentleman for once, Han offered his arm to Leia and escorted her out of the room. Chewie and Lando followed close behind, leaving 3PO's remains behind.

As they walked down the hall, Lando went on to explain how Cloud City had managed to remain under the radar of the Empire. But as they approached the dining room, Chewie couldn't help but sense that something was off.  _"Something's… strange…"_

Coming to the entrance, Lando concluded his explanation with why the Empire wouldn't bother them. "I've just made a deal that will keep the Empire out of here forever."

The door opened, and the last person Han, Leia, and Chewie expected to see stood up at the table.

" _YOU!"_  the Wookiee roared at Darth Vader. Han immediately pulled out his blaster and fired at the Sith Lord, but Vader simply held up his hand, blocking the laser blasts with the Force.  _"Kill him!"_

Vader held up his other hand and the blaster flew out of Han's right into the Sith Lord's. "We would be honored if you would join us."

Boba Fett himself stepped out of hiding, having tracked the Falcon to Cloud City.

" _Look!"_  Chewie exclaimed. He recognized the bounty hunter's unique armor. Boba Fett was just as notorious as his father was, and Chewie knew that he was here for the bounty Jabba had placed on Han. And as a group of Stormtroopers came up behind them, the Wookiee knew there was nowhere for them to go.  _"No."_

Han looked at Lando, not completely surprised by his friend's betrayal. The administrator gave him a remorseful look as he confessed, "I had no choice. They arrived right before you did. I'm sorry."

Reaching for Leia's hand, Han gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'm sorry too."

Chewie looked at Lando, trying to find the right words to express himself.  _"You… traitor…"_

With no choice in the matter, they entered the dining room. The door slammed shut behind them.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

LUKE'S ENTRY

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Luke and R2 were making good timing as they sped towards the planet Baspin. With their destination close, R2 inquired some more about his master's vision.  _"Was just Han, Leia, and Chewie you saw?"_

His question came up on the computer for Luke to read. "No, 3PO's with them."

" _Then we really need to hurry it up,"_  R2 half-joked, trying to lighten the tension.

But Luke was in no mood for jokes. "Just hang on, we're almost there."

Little did he know, the vision of his friends suffering was already taking place. Chewie was fortunate enough to be tossed into a cell right away, the only method of torture he was forced to undergo being the blaring alarm that was far too loud for the Wookiee's extra sensitive ears.

" _That sound! Make it stop! It's too loud!"_  He grabbed the bars on the ceiling and began yanking on them. _"Cut it out! Stoooooop! Stop! Stop!"_

Finally, it did. Chewie looked through the bars, unable to see anything. Worry for his friends, especially Han, gripped him, and he muttered a silent prayer.  _"Han, please be safe."_

With nothing else to do, he turned his attention to the box of 3PO's parts that had been tossed in with him.  _"Now… lets see to you."_  He picked up 3PO's head, looking at it sadly.  _"How did we get here?"_  Picking up the torso, he reattached the head.  _"Lets see here."_  Fiddling with the wires, a stream of incoherent gibberish escaped the droid.  _"Ok, almost."_

He continued playing with the wires and circuits, and 3PO began to reactivate. As he did, memories of his last moments before he was blasted apart came back to him. "Stormtroopers? Here? We're in danger! I must tell the others! Oh no, I've been shot!"

And so began the long process of reassembling the protocol droid. It was slow boring work, but it was far better than what Han and Leia were going through, though things were far worse for the former smuggler.

Lando listened to Han's agonized screams as Vader tortured him, trying to keep his expression neutral. He kept telling himself that he had to think of all the people in Cloud City and how he was doing this for them, to keep them safe from the Empire indefinitely. Yet he was regretting this deal he made more and more as Vader continued to alter their bargain. Han was never meant to be handed over to Boba Fett, Leia and Chewie were never meant to remain indefinite prisoners within the city. But when he raised his complaints, Vader's unspoken threat immediately silenced him.

Chewie was ignorant to all this as he made progress with 3PO. The protocol droid was functioning again, partly, and was currently expressing himself to the Wookiee. "Oh, yes, that's very good, I like that." But more fiddling around with his wires turned off his eyes. "Wait, something's wrong, because now I can't see."

" _Hold on."_

3PO's eyes came back on. "Oh! That's much better."

" _Good."_

Suddenly, 3PO realized something was very wrong. "Wait… Wait! Oh my! What have you done?"

Chewie blinked in confusion.  _"What?"_

"I'm backwards!"

The Wookiee looked him over and realized his mistake.  _"Oh, you are. Oops."_  Despite the situation they were in, he couldn't help but laugh.

3PO, however, didn't think it was very funny. "Only an overgrown mop head like you would be stupid enough-"

Having heard enough, Chewie turned him off.  _"Quiet."_  He looked up at the sound of the door opening, and two Stormtroopers carried Han into the room.  _"Han? Han. No."_ He hurried over.  _"Are you ok? What did they do?"_

He bent down and lifted his friend up. Dazed, Han looked up at the Wookiee with unfocused eyes. "I feel terrible."

Chewie could scarcely imagine what he had gone through.  _"I'll bet. Come on. Here."_  He slid out the bed and laid Han down on it. A few moments later, Leia was shoved into the room with them.  _"Leia! Han's hurt."_

She hurried over to Han's bedside and began stroking his hair affectionately. Han was a very strong person, but right now he looked completely broken. "Why are they doing this?"

Only half conscious, Han looked up at her. "They never even asked me any questions."

Leia pressed a kiss to his head as the door slid open again, drawing Chewie's attention.  _"Now what?"_

Leia glanced at the newcomer as well. "Lando," she told Han.

" _Traitor!"_  Chewie snarled at him.

Lando ignored the Wookiee, but kept his distance as he explained what their fate would be. Han was to be given to Boba Fett while Leia and Chewie were to remain in the city under Lando's guard. It turned out Vader's true target was Luke, and the three of them were the bait.

Despite his pain, Han forced himself to stand up. "You fixed this all up real good, didn't you, my friend."

His fist slammed into Lando's jaw. The administrator fell to the ground, and Han was immediately on him, punching every part of his former friend he could reach.

" _Get him!"_  Chewie cried as the two men scrabbled. But the guards quickly moved in, batting Han with their clubs. Lando quickly got to his feet and ordered them to stop, but Chewie was far from grateful.  _"Bastard!"_

"I've done all I can," Lando insisted apologetically. "I'm sorry I could do better, but I have my own problems."

Han glared up at him. "Yeah, you're a real hero."

Lando looked like he wanted to say more, but instead turned and left the room, his guards right behind him. Chewie walked over and helped Han to sit up.  _"Nice punch. You ok?"_

Despite the situation, Leia couldn't resist giving him a smile. "You certainly have a way with people."

They began lifting him to his feet, and an agonized groan escaped him.

" _Careful,"_  Chewie said to Leia as they helped the former smuggler to the bed.

But things only became worse from there. Vader was aware of how difficult it was to keep a Jedi imprisoned, and he was also aware that Luke had been trained how to use the Force. He needed a safe and secure way to bring the boy to the Emperor that was impossible for Luke to escape from, even with the power of the Force. Thus he had come up with a cruel and rather unorthodox way to do so. He decided to carbon-freeze the Jedi in-training.

But carbon-freezing was not something generally done. In fact, it had never been done on a living creature as far as anyone knew. Doing so might very well kill the person. Thus Vader decided to test the process on Han.

So Han, Leia, and Chewie, with the partly reassembled 3PO on his back, were brought into the freezing chambers where the Ugnaughts were getting the machine ready.

Chewie had no idea what was going on, but he knew it couldn't be good.  _"Han?"_

But the former smuggler was just as clueless, and reluctantly turned to Lando for answers. "What's going on,  _buddy?_ "

The administrator couldn't even bring himself to look at the friend he betrayed. "You're being put into carbon-freeze."

As Vader assured Boba that he would receive compensation if the former smuggler died, the only thing Han and Leia could do was stare at each other, knowing this might very well be the last time they saw each other. Countless unspoken words and feelings passed between them, but they were not given time to express any of it.

"Put him in," Vader ordered.

" _No, Han!"_  Chewie roared as the Stormtroopers approached. Not carrying that he had guns pointed at him, he savagely lashed out at the clones.  _"Stay away from my friend!"_ 3PO emitted cries of protest from Chewie's back, but it was Han's orders to stop that caused the Wookiee to pause.  _"I won't let them do this! I won't let them. No!"_

"The princess," Han insisted, " _you_  have to take care of her."

The unspoken words "for me" were in there, but Han didn't speak them. Chewie stubbornly looked away.  _"But…"_

"You hear me?" the former smuggler demanded. "Huh?"

Chewie's despair was evident. He knew of his friend's true feelings for the princess. He also knew that Han was making what could possibly be his last request. How could he possibly deny him this?  _"Yes…"_

Han and Leia turned to each other. They moved at the same time, Han a moment sooner, and pressed their lips together, pouring everything they felt for each other in the kiss. It only lasted a moment though as the Stormtroopers impatiently pulled them apart and moved Han into position.

"I love you!" Leia cried in confession.

Han stared at her, unwilling to let the situation force him to say what he wanted to say of his own free will. "I know."

An Ugnaught motioned to his associate.  _"Start it."_

Slowly, the platform lowered. Leia and Han continued to stare at each other, both wanting the other to be the last thing Han saw in case he did not survive. No words were spoken between them, but Chewie's cries echoed through the chamber.  _"Han! I'll find you! I mean it. I will. I promise. Han! Han…"_

Vader watched the two almost lovers, unfeelingly. Memories of his own love swirled around in his own head, but he stomped down on those feelings and pushed them aside. He was not that weakling anymore. He was the master now, and he glanced at the Ugnaught at the controls.

The Ugnaught took it as his cue.  _"Freezing."_

A layer of mist rose up, obscuring Han from view. Chewie screamed Han's name as he lost sight of his friend in the pit. It was over in seconds, and an Ugnaught gave the command pull him out.  _"Lower it."_

From up above, huge metal tongs lowered into the pit and brought up Han. Frozen in a block of carbonite was the impression of Han reaching outward as a perfect statue.

" _Han, no,"_  Chewie lamented mournfully.

The Ugnaughts carelessly pushed the block over and Lando went to check to see if he was alive. To everyone's relief, he was, and, according to Lando, in perfect hibernation.

Vader glanced at Boba. "He's all yours, bounty hunter."

As Vader made plans to lure Luke into the chamber, Lando went to Chewie and Leia, eager to get them away from the Sith Lord.

The Wookiee held the princess tight and secure while she was unable to tear her eyes away from Han's carbonated form.  _"Don't touch her!"_

Vader's attention shifted to them. "Calrissian, take the princess and the Wookiee to my ship."

Lando's mouth practically dropped open. "You said they would be left in the city under my supervision."

"I am altering the deal," the Sith Lord growled threateningly. "Pray I do not alter it any further."

With nothing more to say, he turned and left, certain the administrator would follow his command.

But he had erred. It was in that moment that Lando realized there was no deal, there never had been. Vader was in control of the city just as much as he would have been if the Empire had come and taken it over. There was no keeping the people safe from this monster. Lando had betrayed his friend and had protected no one. The only thing Vader had given him was the illusion of a deal.

Neither Leia nor Chewie were aware of the thoughts fling through Lando's head as they continued to stare at Han's frozen form.  _"Han…"_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

LUKE'S SEARCH

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Luke made his way through Cloud City. In his hast to get to his friends, he didn't take into account the lack of security. Using the Force, he sensed their location and quickly made his way towards them with R2 close behind.

He ducked behind a corner as Boba and a group of Stormtroopers walked by with Han's frozen form. Luke glanced at them curiously, sensing something. It felt like Han's presence, but it felt off, like it was being concealed.

R2 rolled up behind him.  _"Hey, is the coast clear?"_  He was waved back.  _"No?"_

Luke was about to follow, but Boba suddenly reappeared from around the corner and fired at him. Luke ducked behind the corner again as the bounty hunter took off.

Worried for his friends and eager to get to them, R2 pushed against the Jedi in-training's leg, urging him to go.  _"They're on to us."_  He pushed harder.  _"Hurry, we have to find them."_

Luke placed a calming hand to the droid's head before moving to follow. As he ran through the halls, he ran into another group of Stormtroopers accompanied by Lando, and in their custody was Chewie, Leia, and 3PO. The Stormtroopers opened fired at him, and Luke once again ducked for cover as his friends screamed cries of protest to him.

" _Luke, no!"_

"Luke, don't it's a trap!"

He heard their warnings, and looked around carefully for any signs as such. He slowly made to follow, and walked through a door into a dark room. R2 came up behind him, meaning to follow.

" _Wait for me, Master."_  But the door suddenly slammed shut on him.  _"Hey, what the…?"_

Luke looked around in the dark room. It seemed his friends were right; it was indeed a trap. He wondered why he didn't sense it though. But what he did sense was something dark and menacing in the Force. Something that belonged to the Dark Side.

"The Force is with you, young Skywalker," a deep mechanical voice spoke out, "but you're not a Jedi yet."

But while Luke had walked right into Vader's trap, the Stormtroopers leading Leia and Chewie walked right into Lando's. Deciding to right what he had so gravely wronged, the administrator had secretly made plans with Lobot via his AJ^6 cyborg construct. Several Cloud City security members suddenly appeared, all with their guns pointing at the Stormtroopers and Empire official.

Lando went around and took the Stormtroopers' weapons. As the security led the new prisoners away, Lando shoved a gun into Leia's hands and went to remove Chewie's restraints.

" _What?"_  the Wookiee exclaimed.

Leia was just as confused. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We're getting out of here," Lando told her.

3PO immediately expressed his relief, but Leia, having been untrusting of Lando before his betrayal, was not about to take anything he said seriously. "Do you think that after what you did to Han that I would trust you?"

Chewie was of similar mind, and of a much more violent reaction as he reached up and began to strangle the administrator.  _"Bastard! Traitor!"_

Lando struggled to speak through the Wookiee's tight hold on his throat. "I had no choice."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say.  _"No choice?"_

Leia apparently thought so too as she sarcastically replied, "Oh, we understand, don't we Chewie?"

" _Sure."_

"He had no choice."

The Wookiee's grip on Lando's throat tightened, yet he managed to get out, "I'm just trying to help."

Chewie squeezed tighter.  _"That's crap!"_

"We don't need any of your help," Leia snapped.

" _Yeah,"_  Chewie snarled, bringing Lando to his knees as the man tried to speak.  _"Quiet! Die!"_

"There's still a chance to save Han!" Lando managed to get out.

Chewie's grip loosened, but only just.  _"How?"_

"At the east…"

" _East?"_

"Platform…"

Not sure whether to believe him or not, Chewie looked to the princess.  _"Leia?"_  She simply said his name and took off. Still fuming, Chewie took this to mean that she believed him.  _"Right."_

They hurried along towards the East Platform as Boba prepared for takeoff. Along the way, they rushed past a certain lost astromech droid.

" _Hurry!"_  Chewie urged the others forward, drawing their comrade's attention.

" _Hey, look who it is!"_  R2 cried happily, turning to follow them.  _"Wait for me, guys!"_

Riding on Chewie back, 3PO was shocked to see his little friend. "R2! R2! Where have you been?"

" _With Luke,"_  was the smaller droid's simple reply.

Chewie glanced back to see who 3PO was talking to and saw R2. There was no time to ask where he came from, and he quickly urged the droid to follow.  _"This way!"_

R2 quickly rolled after them.  _"What's going on?"_

"Hurry, hurry!" 3PO cried as he bounced along. "We're trying to save Han from the bounty hunter."

R2 was taken aback, wonder what he had missed. Was this the danger his master had foreseen?  _"A bounty hunter?"_  It couldn't have been worse than what he had gone through though.  _"Did you know I was eaten?"_

3PO would have rolled his eyes if he could. "Well, at least you're still in one piece. Look what happened to me."

For some reason, his friend's condition didn't surprise R2.  _"I can see."_

They arrived at the East Platform, just in time to watch as Boba's ship lifted off.

" _There!"_  Chewie cried, and open fired on the Slave I.

But it was too late, and the ship vanished into the sky. Leia watched it go, a heartbroken look on her face. She didn't even hear 3PO's cry of how a group of Stormtroopers had caught up with them.

Laser beams began flying around, and R2 suddenly found himself in the line of fire.  _"Hey, whoa!"_

Furious at having failed to get to Han in time, Chewie rounded on the Stormtroopers and began firing.  _"You Stormtrooper scum!"_

As Chewie and the clones exchanged fire, R2 dashed back and forth in a very comical fashion as he tried to decide which way he should go, all the while avoiding the lasers.  _"Hey, hey! Don't shoot me! I didn't do anything!"_

It was the others that decided his direction for him, and he quickly wheeled after them, the Stormtroopers close behind.

" _Quick!"_  Chewie cried as they continued to flee, eventually coming to a sealed door, and he quickly turned to the administrator.  _"Lando!"_

Lando punched in the combination to open the door, but was surprised to find it didn't work. "The security code has been changed."

" _Open it!"_  Chewie demanded.

Now 3PO was even happier to have his little friend back. "R2, you can tell the computer to override the security systems."

The astromech droid rolled over to the wall.  _"Sure thing. Just a second."_

"R2, hurry!" the protocol droid urged as Lando took a moment to send a warning to the civilians of Cloud City.

" _Ok!"_  But in his haste, the little droid wasn't paying attention to what he was doing and stuck his mechanical claw someplace he wasn't supposed to, receiving a powerful shock.  _"Whaa! Whaa! Whaa!"_

Quickly grabbing the droid, Chewie quickly pulled him back.  _"Get out of there! You ok?"_

R2's head was literally spinning.  _"Whoa, I nearly short-circuited. Thanks for that."_

The last part had been a sarcastic remark thrown at the protocol droid, who was quick to defend himself. "Well, don't blame me! I'm an interpreter. I'm not supposed to know a gas socket from a computer terminal."

Still disorientated, R2 made to follow, and crashed into the wall.  _"Ouch!"_  He regained his bearings and continued after them.  _"But you said…"_

All around them, Cloud City residents were running about in a panic from the announcement Lando had made moments ago, warning them that their worst fears had been realized; that the Empire had invaded the city.

" _Hurry, Chewie, you're falling behind,"_  R2 called to the Wookiee.

And with good reason too since it was Chewie who was keeping the pursuing Stormtroopers at bay.  _"Die!"_

They came to another sealed door, one with an actual computer terminal, and R2 rolled over to it.  _"Now this is what I was looking for."_

" _Hurry!"_  Chewie urged as he fired at another Stormtrooper.

As the astromech droid hacked into the city's computer, he came across something rather interesting.  _"Hey, there's news on the Falcon's hyperdrive."_

3PO couldn't believe he was getting into this now. "We're not interested in the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon; it's fixed!"

" _But there's an update."_

"Just open the door, you stupid lug!"

R2 mentally rolled his eyes.  _"Fine."_  He finished his hacking, and the door unlocked.  _"There, it's open. Come on, let's go."_

3PO would have hugged him if he were in one piece. "I never doubted you for a second! Wonderful!"

They all ran through the door, heading for the Millennium Falcon. R2 paused a moment to give the Stormtroopers a little gift.  _"Try this."_  He blew out a cloud of smoke, obscuring them so the Stormtroopers couldn't target them. Feeling very smug, R2 almost casually strolled after the others.  _"What would you do without me?"_

Chewie was the first to reach the boarding ramp, but didn't take 3PO on his back into account, and the protocol droid repeatedly banged his head, shouting cries of protest the Wookiee wasn't in the mood to listen to.  _"Shut up!"_

As Lando and Leia continued to hold off the Stormtroopers, Chewie went to prepare the ship for takeoff, setting 3PO on the floor.  _"Here."_  Next stop was the control station, and he quickly set to work.  _"Time to go."_

As Leia and Lando hurried onboard the ship, R2 went to recover his golden friend, who was more than happy to be out of the Wookiee's care. "I thought that hairy beast would be the end of me."

" _Well, you have looked better,"_  R2 joked.

"Of course I've looked better!"

The Stormtroopers fired uselessly at the Falcon, but the ship quickly sped away from them and the city. They had a small lead, but they knew that the Empire would be right behind them. They had to put as much distance between them and the city as they could.

At least that was the plan, but a familiar voice spoke to Leia through the Force. "Leia… Hear me… Leia…"

Leia recognized it. In their desperate attempt to save Han and later escape, she had forgotten all about him. "Luke… We've got to go back."

" _Huh?"_  Chewie asked the same time Lando said, "What?"

"I know where Luke is," she insisted.

"What about those Fighters?" Lando objected.

Chewie was thinking about them as well, but he trusted the princess.  _"Are you sure about this?"_

"Chewie, just do it!"

Lando got to his feet in protest. "But what about Vader?"

Still angry at the administrator, Chewie snarled at him.  _"You get no say in this!"_

Realizing the danger the Wookiee presented to him, Lando held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, alright!"

The ship turned around and headed back towards Cloud City. Through the guidance of the Force, Leia directed them to where they needed to go, somehow knowing without knowing.

Her senses spoke true. Clinging to an antenna beneath the city was the Jedi in-training. Gravely injured and down one hand from his lightsaber duel with Darth Vader, he hung on for dear life. But it was the pain in his heart that hurt him more than anything. For during their battle, the Sith Lord had revealed the horrific truth, that he was Luke's father.

Luke had refused to believe it. He couldn't believe it. It was too crazy. Yet he sensed no lie in the Sith Lord's claim, sensed no deception in the Force, no clouding of his judgment. Vader insisted that he feel for the truth, but Luke had refused to do so, afraid he would find that his greatest enemy was indeed his father. Yet as he thought about it, the vision he'd had of his own face within Vader's helmet began to make sense.

"Look, someone's up there," said Lando as the Falcon flew beneath the city.

" _I see them,"_  Chewie replied.

Leia leaned in to get a better look, recognizing the person hanging from the antenna. "That's Luke. Chewie, slow down. Slow down and we'll get under him. Lando, open the top hatch."

" _Reducing speed,"_  Chewie replied, slowly bringing the ship closer.  _"We're almost there."_

"Ok, easy, Chewie."

" _Got it."_  He pulled the ship up right below Luke. As soon as Lando reported that he had Luke, he pulled away, just in time for a group of Fighters to come flying in.  _"Great."_

Leia barely gave the ships a second look, quickly running to Luke's side as Lando brought him in. The former administrator took her spot at the controls, noting the Fighters following them. "Alright, Chewie, lets go."

" _Sure. Damn, Fighters."_

They soared up into space, but upon exiting the planet's atmosphere, they were greeted by a troubling sight.

"Star Destroyer," Leia unnecessarily pointed out.

" _Great,"_  Chewie muttered.

Lando, however wasn't concerned. Having been the former owner of the Millennium Falcon, he knew what the ship was capable of. And now that the hyperdrive was fixed, there was no way the Empre would be able to catch them. "Alright, Chewie, ready for light speed?"

" _Yes."_

" _If_  your people fixed the hyperdrive," Leia grumbled. After so many failed attempts, not to mention her distrust in Lando, she was more skeptical than ever.

Chewie was inclined to agree.  _"Yeah."_

"All the coordinates are set. It's now or never."

"Punch it!" Lando cried.

" _Punching,"_  Chewie replied, getting very tired of saying that, but nowhere near as tired as the sound of the hyperdrive failing.  _"Oh no. Again?"_  He looked at Lando, his anger quickly building up.  _"Lando, you damn liar!"_

But Lando was just as surprised as Chewie. "They told me they fixed it!"

Chewie angry shook his fists in the air.  _"We're completely screwed!"_

"I trusted them to fix it! It's not my fault!"

It sounded far too similar to Han, and Chewie was in no mood to listen to it as he aggressively pushed Lando aside to see what he could do.  _"Move!"_

In the process of being repaired by R2, 3PO glanced at the angry Wookiee as he attempted to fix the hyperdrive. "Noisy brute! Why don't we just go into light speed?"

"We can't," R2 told him.

"We can't?"

" _The hyperdrive's been deactivated."_

3PO would have given him a strange look if he were capable of expression. "How would you know the hyperdrive is deactivated?"

" _When I was plugged in, the city central computer told me,"_  R2 replied simply.

"The city central computer told you?"

" _I tried to tell you,"_  the astromech droid replied, reminding him how he hadn't been interested in the Falcon's hyperdrive.

"R2-D2, you know better than to trust a strange computer!" 3PO scolded. In protest, R2 deliberately tapped his foot with his welder. "Ouch! Pay attention to what you're doing!"

R2 mentally rolled his eyes.  _"Suck it up."_

The two droids continued to argue while Chewie went down into the hold's pit, trying to fix the hyperdrive, but was unable to find the problem.  _"Come on."_

Little did any of them know, the hyperdrive was no longer damaged. Lando's people had indeed repaired it like he said, but the Empire had deactivated it just in case.

As the Falcon sped towards the Star Destroyer, Vader, on board the massive ship, spoke to Luke through the Force, urging him to come to him. Luke attempted to resist the Sith Lord's seductive words, confused about what he believed, confused as to why Obi-Wan had lied to him if it was true.

Lando knew they were too close to the Star Destroyer, but the Fighters behind them were herding them towards it. It wouldn't be long before they were in range of the giant ship's tractor beam. Desperately, he hit the button to the communicator. "Chewie?"

" _Shut up!"_  the Wookiee roared.

Having grown impatient, R2 abandoned his work on the protocol droid and went to repair the hyperdrive himself.  _"I'll take care of this."_

Standing on one leg, 3PO held up his other one in protest. "R2, come back at once! You haven't finished with me yet! You don't know how to fix the hyperdrive. Chewbacca can do it. I'm standing here in pieces, and you're having delusions of grandeur."

R2 reached out and connected a single wire.  _"How's this for delusions of grandeur?"_  The hyperdrive started up so quickly that R2 went flying backwards, dropping right into the pit and onto the startled Wookiee.  _"WHOA!"_

"You did it!" 3PO cried as the Falcon took off and disappeared into the depths of space.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

PREPARING TO SEARCH FOR HAN

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Dark and gloomy days had followed the escape from Cloud City. The Republic had suffered one defeat after another. The loss of their base on Hoth, the loss of Han to Boba Fett, the loss of Luke's hand to Vader's lightsaber. The Empire had truly struck back.

At least the last loss had been fixed. Seated in the medical ward, the surgical droid, 2-1B, finishing touches of Luke's new robotic hand were being completed. When it was finished, it would look and feel just like a real hand. It even replicated the sense of touch, sending electrical signals to the main body that simulated the sensation.

The loss of Han was being taken care of as well. Being responsible, Lando made it his mission to find his lost friend. Chewie was going along for the ride, unwilling to be left behind. Leia and Luke wanted to go as well, but being the princess, Leia had other duties, and Luke needed to finish his Jedi training; he was far too susceptible to the Dark Side at this point in his training to leave things as they were.

"Luke, we're ready for takeoff," Lando told him, via communicator.

" _Set,"_  Chewie confirmed.

Luke had gotten to know Lando a bit over the past few days. At first he was angry when he learned what the former administrator had done, but upon learning why he did it, and sensing how regretful and sincere he was about Han, he decided to trust him. "Good luck, Lando.

Having known Han in the past, and his history with Jabba, it didn't take much for Lando to figure out where Boba was taking the carbonated man. "When we find Jabba the Hutt and that bounty hunter, we'll contact you."

"I'll meet you at the randevu point on Tatoonie." Although Luke had lived on the desert planet his entire life, he had no idea where Jabba lived. It was a big planet, and being on the run from the Empire, it would take some time to locate the Hutt.

"Princess," said Lando, "we'll find Han, I promise."

" _Yes, we will,"_  the Wookiee assured her.

"Chewie, I'll be waiting for your signal. Take care you two. May the Force be with you."

" _And you, Luke. Good luck, pal."_

Leia smiled at the Wookiee's response. It was the first time she had smiled in days. Luke watched her as she walked away. He sensed a change in her. Not just in her, but in her feelings. He knew something had happened between her and Han. He didn't know what, but he somehow understood that she had made a decision, and it wasn't in his favor. Somehow, though, he was ok with that.

Getting up, he went to join her at the window beside R2 and 3PO as they stared at the galaxy they had fled from. He placed a comforting arm around her, silently telling her that it would be all right.

"He's out there somewhere," said R2, referring to Han.

Onboard the Millennium Falcon, Chewie and Lando got ready to depart.  _"We're coming, Han."_

As they flew off, the other four watched them leave, hoping and praying to find their missing friend.

" _And so,"_  R2 chirped,  _"the search begins."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Empire is finished. Just one more to go. Well, at lest until "The Force Awakens" comes out. Then there's still Episodes 8 and 9. Hmm, maybe I should just stop after 6, but I don't really want to. I'm enjoying writing this. Oh, by the way, I'm going to be going on vacation, so the next update may be delayed a few days. Or not. We'll see.)


	6. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I know this is a couple weeks late, but I got caught up in the real world. But better late than never. This is the longest one yet, and boy did it take a while. "Jedi" really is my favorite of the series, so I wanted to do it right. Towards the end, I wrote out the plot a little bit more rather than just the translation scenes. And don't forget, I used the ORIGINAL "Return of the Jedi", not the so-called remaster/rereleased version, so it may be a little different from what those of you that only saw the DVD and BluRay versions remember. While I did like the cleaned up look, the original version was a lot better, so that's how I wrote it. Enjoy.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Episode VI: Return of the Jedi**

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JABBA'S PALACE

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They had finally managed to find the location of Jabba the Hutt's palace. The Rebel Alliance had known it was somewhere on Tatoonie, but with the Empire constantly searching for them, they hadn't exactly had the freedom to search. Throw in the fact that the bounty hunter, Boba Fett, hadn't delivered Han Solo to Jabba right away, and it had taken a full year to finally track down Han's location.

They had already attempted to send a team to save Han from the vicious gangster. The first party member had been the Wookiee known as Chewbacca, eager to save his lifelong friend. The other was the former Baron Administrator of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian, seeking to make up for the betrayal he had committed. And while many would question sending the man who turned on Han in the first to save him, the former administrator had more than proven himself in the past year.

Alas, neither had returned. No one knew what became of them, nor did they receive any news of Han before contact with them was lost.

But the past year had been beneficial for the Rebels in many ways. Particularly for a certain Jedi-in-training. Luke Skywalker had used what he learned from Jedi Master Yoda, and continued training on his own, progressing tremendously. But with his new power came a great responsibility. He had learned of the patience and intelligence that came with being a Jedi, and the appreciation for all life.

With that appreciation came a reluctance to kill unless absolutely necessary. This was why he still sought a peaceful means of rescuing Han from Jabba's clutches, and had chosen to send his faithful droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO to bargain for Han's return.

And as the two made their way to Jabba's palace, the blue astromech droid couldn't resist smiling inwardly at the nervousness his golden protocol droid companion exhibited.  _"Are you worried?"_

If 3PO were capable of facial expression, he would have been aghast. "Of  _course_  I'm worried, and you should be too."

" _How come?"_

The smaller droid could practically hear 3PO roll his eyes. "Lando Calrissian and poor Chewbacca never returned from this awful place."

" _I'm sure they're fine. Jabba probably just refused them."_

"Don't be so sure."

" _How come?"_

His little friend's lack of concern was somewhat irritating. "If I told you half the things I heard about this Jabba the Hutt fellow, you'd probably short circuit."

" _Ooh, scary."_  R2 muttered sarcastically.  _"I'm short circuiting already."_

They continued on their way, finally reaching the palace that looked nothing like the type of royal establishments that they were used to. A massively large door lay before them. 3PO wondered why such a large door was needed. The creatures on this planet, any planet really, came in all shapes and sizes, but really, why such a large door?

" _Well, here we are,"_  said R2, pointing out the obvious.  _"Wow, this is a big door."_

3PO was visibly nervous. "R2, are you sure this is he right place?" he asked, clearly grasping at straws in an attempt to find a way out of this.

" _Really?"_ R2 asked in a bored voice.  _"You're asking this now? Come on."_

The golden droid hesitantly raised his hand. "I better knock, I suppose."

" _That would be logical."_

Very lightly, 3PO tapped the door, far too softly for anyone on the other side to hear. Less than a second after his pathetic excuse for a knock, he turned to his little friend. "There doesn't seem to be anyone here. Lets go back and tell Master Luke."

R2 was taken aback at his abruptness.  _"Whoa, hold up a second."_

Whether 3PO's fear was making him stupid, or he was not making a real attempt to gain entrance didn't seem to matter as a small slot opened and a TT-8L/Y7 gatekeeper droid popped out.  _"State your business, intruder."_

3PO was startled by the security droid's sudden appearance. "Goodness gracious me!"

" _A droid?"_  the TT-8L/Y7 remarked in Huttesse.  _"Who else is with you?"_

3PO glanced at the astromech droid.  _"R2-D2."_

R2 turned to the security droid.  _"Hello. You gonna let us inside?"_

" _Inside?"_  TT-8L/Y7 snarled, small mechanical limbs dropping down threateningly.

R2 rolled back in surprise.  _"Whoa, take it easy!"_

TT-8L/Y7 turned back to 3PO  _"And who you are, droid?"_

The protocol droid was still feeling nervous.  _"C-3PO, sir."_

" _Purpose?"_

" _A message?"_

" _For who?"_

" _Your master, Jabba the Hutt."_

" _A message for Master?"_  The little gatekeeper suddenly sounded amused.  _"But of course."_

With that, it pulled back inside, and its little slot closed. 3PO just stared, not sure what to think. Gatekeeper droids were known to be obnoxious, and he had no idea if he and R2 would be allowed in.

The thought wasn't too much of a let down, and the protocol droid was unable to hide how happy he was. "I don't think they're going to let us in, R2."

" _He didn't say that,"_  the astromech droid pointed out.

But 3PO pretended he didn't hear and turned to leave. "We better go."

" _Just wait."_  R2 cried. But it was the creaking sound of the massive door beginning to open that halted the protocol droid in his tracks.  _"See. They're opening the door."_

Fearlessly, the astromech droid rolled inside without hesitation. 3PO stared, unwilling to follow. "R2, wait!"

" _Come on. Or stay there."_

Neither option sounded appealing, but 3PO really didn't want to be left alone. "Oh dear." He hurried inside after his little friend, trying to come up with something to dissuade the astromech droid. "R2, I really don't think we should rush into all this."

" _Of course not,"_  R2 grumbled. It was very typical behavior of the cowardly protocol droid, and he inwardly smiled as his golden companion cried out for some reason.  _"You're such a coward, 3PO."_

A moment later, he ate his own words as, not watching where he was going, he ran into a Gamorrean guard, and backed away with a start.  _"Yikes! Sorry, pal?"_

More freaked out than ever, 3PO hurried to catch up with his little friend. "Just deliver Master Luke's message and get us out of here!"

The Gamorrean turned to him, and the protocol droid gave a cry of fright that was repeated with the appearance of a second one.

" _Intruder!"_  another voice cried out, and both droid's turned to find a male Twi'lek approaching them. Being from the planet Ryloth, these humanoid creatures were occasionally referred to as Rylothians, and were mostly recognized by the large tentacles on their heads.

This one in particular was known as named Bib Fortuna, and he was the majordomo of Jabba the Hutt.  _"Good morning to you."_

3PO felt an uneasy shiver run through his circuits. "Oh my." He bowed in greeting.  _"Good morning to you, sir."_

" _Good morning,"_  R2 echoed.

It seemed that a greeting was the only type of hospitality Fortuna was willing to give, as he immediately snapped at the protocol droid.  _"Business?"_

3PO was eager to get straight to business so he could leave. "We bring a message to your master, Jabba the Hutt."

" _A message for Jabba?"_  the Twi'lek repeated.

" _Yes, and a gift as well,"_  R2 added.

In his eagerness to leave, 3PO wasn't paying attention and quickly translated. "And a gift."

" _Yup, a gift."_

The protocol droid suddenly realized what he said. "Gift? What gift?"

" _Just a gift,"_  R2 replied dismissively.  _"You know, a gift."_

No, 3PO did not know, but that wasn't that unusual. People tended to share things with R2 and leave him in the dark. Was this gift just another thing to add to the list?

Fortuna was quick to dismiss the droids' request to see the crime lord.  _"Don't bother Jabba."_

" _But, sir,"_  R2 began.

The Twi'lek bent down to the astromech droid.  _"Give me the message."_

" _No way!"_  R2 immediately protested.  _"I have specific orders."_

" _I will give it to him,"_  Fortuna assured him.

R2 shook his head.  _"I won't do it."_

Though the Twi'lek could not understand the droid's beeps and chirps, he understood the turning of the head, and continued to try to coax the message out of him.  _"I'll see that he gets it."_

" _For Jabba only,"_  R2 insisted.

"He says that our instructions are to give it only to Jabba himself," 3PO translated carefully.

" _That's right. We've got very specific orders."_

Fortuna seemed taken aback at R2's refusal. He looked like he was going to argue further, but a grumble from one of the guards drew his attention.  _"Geez, just take them already."_

Fortuna glanced at 3PO again, who gave him as apologetic of a look as he could with the inability to display facial expressions. "I'm terribly sorry. I'm afraid he's ever so stubborn about these sort of things."

Clearly frustrated, the Twi'lek motioned for the two droids to follow him.  _"This way!"_

The Gamorrean who had spoken was quick to be rid of the droids.  _"Get moving."_

With great reluctance, 3PO followed. "R2, I have a bad feeling about this."

" _You always have a bad feeling,"_  the astromech droid grumbled.  _"Just relax. Everything's fine."_

They were led through the palace into Jabba's main audience chamber. All around, dozens of creatures interacted. Drinks, drunks, and sexual favors were being openly handed out as the Hutt crime lord watched without a care from what served as his throne. Two others sat beside him. The first was a beautiful Twi'lek female known as Oola, had a chain around her neck, symbolizing her position as Jabba's sex slave. The other was a Kowakian known as Salacious B. Crumb, whose job it was to amuse the Hutt at least once a day in return for free food and drink.

Whispers and mutters spread around the room as Fortuna led the two droids into the room. Despite R2's bravery, even he was disturbed by the acts of debauchery being committed before him.  _"Ooh, scary,"_  he muttered, almost meaning it this time.

As the two droids came to a stop in front of the Hutt, Fortuna went up to Jabba's side.  _"Forgive the disturbance, my lord."_

3PO politely nodded in greeting. "Good morning."

" _Good morning,"_  R2 echoed.

" _They have a message for you,"_  the Twi'lek reported.

The protocol droid nudged his friend. "The message, R2. The message."

" _Give me a second."_  R2 grumbled, booting up his recording system.

Jabba motioned towards the droids.  _"Proceed,"_  he grumbled in Huttese.

" _Yes, sir."_

A few seconds later, a hologram of Luke Skywalker appeared. He greeted the Hutt, offering the proper respect before making a request to bargain for Han Solo's life. This request was immediately met with laughter from the Hutt and the rest of the room's occupants. But being a mere recording, the hologram of Luke continued as if there had been no interruption. "As a token of my good will, I present to you a gift; these two droids."

3PO, who had been listening intently, started. "What did he say?"

" _Keep quiet,"_  R2 hissed as the hologram finished the message.

When the recoding ended, Fortuna leaned in towards Jabba.  _"Bargain rather than fight? He is no Jedi."_

Whether he was or not, Jabba didn't care. His mind was set. "There will be no bargain. I will not give up my favorite decoration. I like Captain Solo where he is."

He motioned across the room. There, hovering in the air, was the slab of carbonite with the form of Han Solo carved into it. The former smuggler was still sealed inside, his arms reaching out helplessly, his face twisted into a mask of despair.

3PO couldn't believe what he was seeing. "R2, look! Captain Solo, and he's still frozen in carbonite."

" _He is,"_  R2 noticed, equally as horrified.

This was met with laughter from all in the room. There was no mercy or compassion to be found here, and it seemed that, with Luke making a gift of them, that neither R2 nor 3PO would be finding any for a long time, if ever again. But while R2 seemed somewhat nonchalant about the situation, almost as if he had expected this, 3PO was downright terrified as he tried to figure out why Luke would give them away.

As he pondered this, a Gamorrean led them down a corridor to places unknown. They passed several cells on their way to… wherever, and the protocol droid recoiled in horror at what he saw inside one. "How horrid!"

He backed away from the wretched sight, only to cry out as a tentacle reached out from the cell he had gotten too close to and wrap around his neck.

" _Back off!"_  the Gamorrean growled in Gamorrese, backhanding the tentacle, and the limb's owner recoiled.

R2 had known that something like this would happen, but even he was feeling uneasy as they continued along. They passed another Gamorrean guard, and the astromech droid gave an enthusiastic,  _"Hello!"_

The Gamorrean just menacingly motioned for him to continue along, and a feeling of true genuine fear flowed through him.  _"Ooh, scary,"_  he muttered, and this time he really meant it as a door slid open.

Inside was a room filled with machinery. It seemed to be a repair ward, but R2 soon realized it was much more than that. It was also a torture chamber for droids, and right now, a gonk droid was being tortured for whatever reason by being turned upside down and having red hot metal pressed against its feet, courtesy of the smelter droid 8D8.

" _Ah! No, no!"_  the gonk droid cried desperately before giving an agonized wail as the hot metal touched its feet.

3PO was too horrified to speak as he and R2 were led over to a female MerenData EV unit droid known as EV-9D9. Impatient and cold-hearted, 9D9 demanded to know 3PO's primary function before she mercilessly tore apart another droid right in front of him.

"Guard, this protocol droid might be useful," she stated. "Fit him with a restraining bolt, and take him back up to his Excellency's main audience chamber."

The Gamorrean roughly grabbed 3PO and began dragging him out of the room. 3PO looked back at his little friend, crying out a desperate plea. "R2, don't leave me!"

" _Move!"_  the Gamorrean snarled, pushing him out of the room.

Despite the smashed droid carcasses all around him at the hands of 9D9, R2 threw the supervisor droid as dirty as a look as he could muster without having a face.  _"If you hurt my friend, you'll be sorry."_

Rather than getting angry, 9D9 was amused as she thought about how R2 would eventually have his spirit broken in time. "You're a feisty little one, but you'll soon learn some respect. I have need for you on the master's sail barge, and I think you'll fill in nicely."

" _Bitch,"_  R2 growled.

Behind him, the poor gonk droid screamed as 8D8 lowered the heated metal to his feet once again.  _"No, no, no!"_

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JABBA'S MAIN AUDIENCE CHAMBER

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The Max Rebo Band, named after its leader, Max Rebo, a male Ortolan from planet Orto, was rather popular on Tatoonie, and Jabba was a big fan of their music. Having hired the group to provide entertainment for himself and his subjects. Even Boba Fett seemed to be a fan, and the band members Rystáll Sant and Lyn Me seemed quite taken with him as well.

Consisting of twelve members, the lead singer, Sy Snootles, former lover of Jabba's brother, Ziro, had been the one to get them into the Hutt Clan's good graces. And she was currently singing one of Jabba's favorite songs,  _Lapti Nek_ , as Oola danced for the crime lord.

" _Feel my body growing. My bones have started glowing. Ooh! Wow! The time has come for showing, that I'll shape you up and work you out. My body feels excitin'. My soul is synthesizin'. My whole frame is jumpin'. I'm workin' out and havin' fun. Work you out!"_

Jabba couldn't take it anymore. Watching the beautiful Twi'lek had gotten his blood boiling. He wanted Oola, and he wanted her now. Yanking on her chain, he pulled her towards him. Oola stumbled, but regained her footing. Taking hold of her chain, she pulled back in protest.  _"You said I could dance."_

" _Come to me,"_  Jabba demanded.

She knew what his commanded entitled, having had experienced it several times since Fortuna had kidnapped her from her father after having witnessed her dancing and brought her to his master. The lust in the Hutt's eyes was unmistakable, but she couldn't go through that again.  _"No, please, no more!"_

" _Come to me!"_

She defiantly pulled on her chain harder.  _"Please, no more!"_

Jabba's temper snapped, his lust quickly turning to fury.  _"You bitch!"_

He pressed the button beside his dais, and the trapdoor beneath Oola's feet dropped open. The Twi'lek cried out as she dropped several dozen feet, landing in a pit filled with the skeletal remains of those that had fallen in before her.

Up above, Jabba roared with laughter as his subjects gathered around to get a good look at the unexpected but welcome show they were about to witness as a few of them pulled Jabba's dais closer so he could peer down at the Twi'lek woman.

The creaking sound of a mechanical door was heard, a grumbling roar following soon after, and Oola's cries rang out as she met with the horror that lay within the pit. Crude and amused remarks were made by the onlookers as 3PO, having been forced to remain by Jabba's side should the need for an interpreter arise, turned away in disgust.

But as the audience watched the show, another sound was soon heard, drawing their attention. It was the sound of a squabble, and it was getting closer. Someone was coming, and not by invite. Cries of  _"Hold it right there! Hold it right there!"_  were heard as whoever was coming forced their way through.

As the source of the disturbance approached, another member of Jabba's court moved forward.  _"Stop, intruder!"_

Their attempts were futile as they were aggressively tossed back, hitting the wall with a painful grunt. Storming into the room was an unknown being wearing a full-body bounty hunter suit. But it was the one they were dragging with him, at least everyone assumed it was a him, that held the room's attention.

" _Let me go!"_  Chewbacca, more commonly known as Chewie, wailed.

The bounty hunter ignored him as he came to a stop in front of Jabba. "I have come for the bounty on this Wookiee."

From his place behind Jabba, 3PO gasped at what he saw. "Oh, no! Chewbacca!"

But the Wookiee paid the droid no mind as he fixed his furious glare on the Hutt.  _"Jabba!"_

A sadistic glee filled Jabba as he stared at the hairy beast before him. "Finally, we have the mighty Chewbacca." He glanced at the bounty hunter. He didn't understand his words, but he knew what he was, and what he came here for.  _"Where's my talk droid?"_

3PO immediately snapped to attention and hurried to the Hutt's side. "Yes, I am here, your worshipfulness. Um, yes?"

Jabba motioned to the bounty hunter.  _"Welcome our mercenary friend, and tell him I'll pay the 25 thousand reward for the Wookiee."_

As obedient and as formal as always, 3PO relayed the message, but the bounty hunter was dissatisfied with the offer. "I want 50 thousand. No less."

3PO translated for the Hutt, immediately ruining his good mood. Furious, he backhanded the droid, knocking him over.  _"What?! You expect me to pay 50 thousand instead?"_

Flabbergasted and covered in green slime, 3PO quickly shuffled back to Jabba's side. He was terrified for his life. After all, 9D9 had claimed that Jabba had disintegrated his last protocol droid after having gotten angry with it. "W-What did I say?"

" _Why must I pay double?!"_  Jabba demanded.

Hoping the Hutt wouldn't take his misdirected anger out on him anymore, 3PO turned back to the bounty hunter. "The mighty Jabba asks why he must pay 50 thousand."

The bounty hunter slowly reached behind him and pulled out a small round object.  _"I have this."_

3PO felt a surge of fear, barely managing to find his voice. "Because he's holding a thermal detonator!"

In an instant, Boba Fett's gun was pointing at the bounty hunter. Fearful cries echoed throughout the room as its occupants took cover, even though it would be pointless to try and avoid the blast.

Despite the situation he was in, Chewie couldn't help but smile.  _"Still cocky?"_

But Jabba  _was_  cocky. Furthermore, he was amused. He openly laughed at the gall the bounty hunter had, resorting to literally any means to get what he wanted. It was the kind of thing he admired, and it was making him feel generous. "This bounty hunter is my kind of scum. Fearless and inventive." He glanced at 3PO.  _"Tell him I will pay 35 thousand, but no more."_

Praying this bounty hunter would be reasonable, 3PO slowly turned back to him. "Jabba offers the sum of 35, and I  _do_  suggest you take it."

Chewie looked to his captor.  _"Well?"_

The bounty hunter lowered the hand holding the bomb.  _"It's a deal."_

Sweet relief filled 3PO as he watched the bounty hunter turn off the detonator. "He agrees!"

Two Gamorrean guards moved forward to grab hold of Chewie and lead him out of the room. The Wookiee struggled, but was unable to shake them off.  _"Let go! Get your hands off!"_

Max Rebo began playing again, and the party resumed as if there had been no interruption. 3PO went to extend Jabba's invitation to the bounty hunter to stay awhile while Fortuna came up to him,  _"Well done,"_  he whispered, never having seen anyone stand up to his master like that.

" _Thank you,"_  the bounty hunter replied arrogantly.  _"Good business."_

He glanced at his fellow bounty hunter in the corner. In a rare display of respect, Boba gave him a nod of admiration.

The two Gamorreans continued to drag Chewie away by the chain around his neck. The Wookiee struggled, but for some reason didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight.  _"Hey! Stop!"_

As he was dragged away, another guard lowered his mask, revealing the face of Lando Calrissian. He did nothing to lend a hand, but his expression was one of hostility and disgust as he ran through the plan in his head once again.

Whether Chewie had seen Lando or not, he gave no indication as he continued to struggle weakly.  _"Let go! Watch it!"_  He hit his head.  _"Ouch! Hey!"_

Not caring about the bump the Wookiee was sure to develop, the Gamorreans shoved Chewie into a cell.  _"Get in there, you big hairball,"_ one of them grumbled, shutting the door behind him.

" _Jerks,"_  Chewie growled at them

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LATER THAT NIGHT

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Night had fallen upon Tatoonie, but that didn't mean the party was over. Living lives of drugs, drinking, and debauchery, the occupants of Jabba's palace usually just dropped wherever they were, usually passing out from their activities. But at least one was awake, and they were quietly making their way to the main audience chamber.

It was the bounty hunter that had delivered Chewie, who had revealed his name to be Boushh. Having already collected his payment, he was now here for his  _real_  prize. And that prize was currently floating in the air, encased in carbonite.

Going up to Han's side, Boushh pressed a few buttons, and the whistling noise of the carbonite disintegrating echoed through the room. Less than a minute later, the outside air hit Han Solo for the first time in a year.

Weak from his hibernation, Han barely had the strength to move on his own. His eyes sightless, but he was soon reassured by Boushh that it would return in time. Strangely enough, he did not speak the language he spoke earlier when delivering Chewie to Jabba. Stranger still, upon removing his mask, the bounty hunter revealed that they were not a 'he' at all, but Princess Leia Organa of the late planet Alderaan, finally reunited with the man she loved.

The moment was ruined by a familiar booming laughter, and a curtain opened to reveal Jabba and several of his cronies.  _"My, my, what a touching sight."_

A feeling of dread gripped Han, and he blindly turned to the crime lord. "Hey, Jabba. Look, Jabba, I was just on my way to pay you back, and I got a little sidetracked. It's not my fault-"

"It's too late for that, Solo," the Hutt scolded coldly. "You may have been a good smuggler, but now you're Bantha fodder."

Han immediately switched to his professional bargainer mode, but Jabba had heard enough of the former smuggler's silver tongued lies to last a lifetime and ordered his former lackey to be taken away. His large red eyes then settled on Leia, and his grin widened as he demanded her to be brought to him.

It seemed he had found someone to replace Oola.

As for Han, he soon found himself exchanging his carbonite prison for a steel one as he was mercilessly thrown into a cell. The room was lit only by the moonlight, for all the good it did to his blind eyes. It seemed though, that wherever he was, he was not alone as a low growl alerted him to his cellmate.

A rather familiar growl.

"Chewie?" he asked to the darkness.

A hairy face stepped into the light.  _"Han?"_

"Chewie, is that you?" the former smuggler cried, almost desperately.

" _Han!"_  the Wookiee exclaimed joyfully, running to his friend.  _"You're ok! You're ok! Oh, Han!"_

Overjoyed, the Chewie shook his friend a little too roughly as Han tried to blink away the darkness. "I can't see, pal."

Chewie barely heard him.  _"I'm so glad you're back, man."_

It suddenly registered to Han that Chewie must be Jabba's prisoner too. Just what had happened since he had been carbonated? "What's going on?"

The Wookiee couldn't contain his excitement.  _"Luke's coming to rescue us soon."_

It took a few seconds for this to register. "Luke? Luke's crazy. He can't even take care of himself, much less rescue anybody."

But Chewie just smiled, as if he knew a juicy secret.  _"He's a Jedi Knight now?"_

Han blinked at his friend's claim. "A-A Jedi Knight?" He shook his head, trying to take in everything that had happened all at once. "I'm out of it for a little while. Everybody gets delusions of grandeur."

But Chewie was done talking. He would fill Han in on everything that was going on later. Right now, he just wanted to be with his friend, and he enveloped him in a tight embrace.  _"Han! I missed you…"_

Han sighed. Chewie really was a big teddy bear, and there were times where he would become affectionate like this. "Alright, pal."

" _Han,"_  the Wookiee said happily, patting his head.

The former smuggler sighed as he rubbed his friend's hairy arm, assuring him that he was here. "Alright."

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LUKE'S APPEARS

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The large door opened, and an unknown figure dressed in robes entered. They walked along as if they didn't have a care in the world, like they knew beyond a doubt that everything was going to be ok. Not even the menacing Gamorrean guards seemed to bother this unexpected visitor.

" _Halt,"_  one of the guards told him as it and its companion held up their weapons.

The robed visitor calmly raised a hand to the Gamorrean that had spoken, then to the other. The two guards stumbled back as an unseen force clamped down on their throats in an invisible grip. The stranger paid them no further mind as they continued on their way towards Jabba's main audience chamber, guided by the power of the Force.

After having set the trap for Han's would-be rescuers, Jabba was tired from lack of sleep. Others were up and about, but were careful not to wake the crime lord. Beside the Hutt, in Oola's former position, was Leia herself, forced to dress in a skimpy outfit that was most unbecoming for a princess. She tolerated it though as she waited, grateful that Jabba had not yet decided to try out his new 'toy' just yet. They would all be out of here soon. The first few attempts at rescuing Han had failed, but she knew without a doubt that this next one would not.

And that next one was about to enter the room. Fortuna saw him coming and quickly hurried over to intercept him.  _"You must be the one called Skywalker. His excellency will not see you."_

Luke barely even looked at him. "I must speak with Jabba."

Fortuna grabbed Luke's arm, halting him.  _"Shh. The master's asleep."_  He glanced back at the Hutt, making sure he hadn't woken up.  _"Jabba has instructed me to tell you there will be no bargains."_

This did not dissuade Luke in the least as he tapped into the Force and waved a finger at the Twi'lek. "You will take me to Jabba now."

Fortuna paused, suddenly looking thoughtful. Suddenly, the boy's demand seemed like a very good idea.  _"I will take you to Jabba now."_

Luke followed as the Twi'lek unnecessarily led the way. "You serve your master well."

" _I serve my master well,"_  Fortuna repeated dreamily.

"And you will be rewarded."

" _And I will be rewarded."_

The other occupants of the room were all up and about now, gathering around their new visitor. 3PO recognized him right away and immediately expressed his joy.

" _Master,"_  Fortuna said to Jabba, startling the Hutt awake,  _"I present Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight."_

Angry at both being awaken and having the boy in his home, Jabba snapped at the Twi'lek. "I told you not to admit him."

"I must be allowed to speak," Luke stated, reaching into the Force again.

Jabba felt the will of the Force push on his mind, but immediately pushed away the thoughts that were not his own. He knew who he was and what he wanted, but Fortuna was far more susceptible as he repeated the young Jedi's command.  _"He must be allowed to speak."_

The Hutt turned to him angrily, grabbing hold of his arm. "You weak-minded fool! He's using an od Jedi mind trick."

He pushed his majordomo away from him in disgust as Luke lowered his hood. "You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to me."

Jabba found the boy's demand to be quite amusing as he once again pushed away Luke's attempt to force his will on him. This didn't seem to bother Luke in the least as he attempted a peaceful negotiation coupled with a threat should the Hutt refuse.

But Jabba was far more arrogant, and with good reason too. Speaking over 3PO's attempt to warn Luke of the trapdoor he was standing on, Jabba declared that there would be no bargain. "I will enjoy watching you die."

Luke moved quickly. Holding out his hand towards a blaster attached to the hip of one of the room's occupants, he summoned it to him. One of the Gamorrean guards saw the weapon fly into Luke's hand and immediately grabbed at him, pointing it away from Jabba.

The Hutt's eyes widened in shock and outrage at how close he had just come to death _. "Bastard!"_

He slammed his fist on the button beside him, and the trapdoor opened. Both Luke and the Gamorrean he had been fighting over the weapon with dropped down into the pit. The room's occupants all rushed over to get a good look. And as a few of Jabba's subjects moved to pull his dais into position for him to see the show, Lando approached Leia, giving her a reassuring wink.

" _Foolish Jedi,"_  Jabba laughed.  _"Foolish Jedi!"_

The creaking door slowly opened, drawing Luke and his Gamorean companion's attention. Within the darkness, a giant menacing figure turned to them, a low growl escaping the monstrosity as it stared at its prey.

Up above, 3PO recoiled in terror. "Oh no, the rancor!"

Towering in at 25 feet in height, the large carnivores reptile from the planet Dathomir stomped out of the darkness. For the first time upon entering the palace, a sliver of fear ran though Luke.

The Gamorrean was far more terrified than Luke, and it quickly ran to the door.  _"NOOOO! Help me! Please!"_

From the safety way above, everyone, even his fellow Gamorreans laughed at his distress.  _"Ha! He's finished!"_

" _Help, please!"_  the trapped Gamorrean begged, his cries drawing the rancor's attention, and the beast reached for him.  _"Open the door! Please!"_  Then he was in its claws, being brought up to the monster's jaws.  _"Help! Please!"_

It was a gruesome sight, seeing the Gamorrean being eaten alive, but Luke had been trained to keep his emotions intact. He would not let the fear in, and he would not let this beast defeat him. He followed his training, listening to the Midi-cholirans as they spoke the will of the Force to him.

Following the mystical power's guidance, he was able to evade the beast, but soon found himself cornered in front of the only other door that lead to the rancor's keeper's area.

" _Get away from the door!"_  one of the keepers snarled, and pushed him away.

Luke turned to the rancor, wondering why the Force had led him here. Then he saw it; the control panel that opened and closed the door the rancor came through, and the monster was walking beneath the door right now.

Reaching down, he picked up a skull and threw it, using the Force to guide its movements. It struck the control panel, and the door fell shut, crushing the rancor beneath it.

All laughter died with the rancor. Stunned silence filled the room that was broken by Jabba's cry of outrage.  _"My rancor! No!"_  His furious eyes landed on Leia as she gave a sigh of relief, and he gave her chain a hard yank.  _"Get him out of there!"_

The door behind Luke opened, and the two keepers rushed in. One grabbed Luke and immediately began to shake him furiously.  _"You little punk! Do you know what you've done?! You killed…"_

He tailed off as his fellow keeper pushed past him, looking at the dead rancor. Up above, the furious Hutt screamed for Han and Chewie to be brought to him, and Lando was quick to obey, knowing that should anyone else fetch them that they would most likely be roughed up quite a bit before they even reached Jabba.

As Luke was dragged out of the room, the keeper that had been staring at the rancor began to weep. His companion came over, his own voice choking up at the loss of the creature they had taken care of for so many years.  _"Come along now. I know, I'm sorry. Come on, come on."_

Everyone else was more angry, especially Jabba as he cooked up a horrible fate for the three prisoners.  _"Talk droid, tell them."_

Even with his own safety at risk, 3PO was unable to keep the despair out of his voice as he informed Luke, Han, and Chewie that they were to be taken to the Pit of Carkoon and fed to the sarlaac. It was indeed a horrible fate, for all those that were swallowed by the plant-like creature had nothing to look forward to but a slow and painful death of being slowly digested over a thousand years. To make the fate all the crueler, there was no chance of dying of hunger or thirst, as the sarlaac actually kept its victims alive by providing them nourishment, allowing it to continue feeding on them for those one thousand years.

" _Bastard!"_  Chewie roared at Jabba for his cruel decision.

Luke, however, was once again as calm and collect as ever. "You should have bargained, Jabba."

" _Take them away,"_  the Hutt ordered.

Luke just smiled a knowing smile. "That's the last mistake you'll ever make."

Jabba just laughed

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

THE PIT OF SARLACC

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Nearly everyone in Jabba's palace had gone to see the execution. Flying in Jabba's sail barge, they flew towards the sarlacc pit where the prisoners would meet their end. Or at least begin it; it would be a very long time before they actually died.

"I think my eyes are getting better," Han remarked as he squinted at the sandy dunes flying by. "Instead of a big dark blur I see a big light blur."

" _Good,"_  Chewie muttered beside him.

Still smiling, Luke leaned in to him. "There's nothing to see. I used to live here, you know."

Han gave him a sarcastic look. "You're gonna die here, you know. Convenient."

Luke almost laughed. "Just stick close to Chewie and Lando. I've taken care of everything."

Han was certainly skeptical about that. He was already expecting the worst. And he wasn't the only one. 3PO was wandering around the sail barge, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, a rather difficult feat with his golden body.

Not watching where he was going, he collided with a certain astromech droid, knocking off the tray of drinks he was holding.

" _Whoa!"_  R2 cried in surprise. The he noticed who it was.  _"Hey, 3PO, it's me."_

An apology was already escaping 3PO before he realized who it was. "I'm terribly sor… R2, what are you doing here?"

" _I'm serving drinks,"_  the little droid stated.

3PO would have rolled his eyes if he could. "Well, I can see you're serving drinks, but this place is dangerous. They're going to execute Master Luke. And if we're not careful, us too."

R2 almost chuckled.  _"Don't worry, it's all part of the plan."_

The protocol droid humphed unbelievably. "I wish I had your confidence."

The sails barge slowly came to a stop above the Pit of Carkoon. Down below, a sand pit led down to a large organic hole about nine feet wide. Aligned with rows of sharp teeth pointing down to prevent anything from possibly getting out, long tentacles slid along the sandy surface, feeling for anything to grab hold of and pull in.

"Get walking," one of Luke's Weequay executioner ordered as the ramp slid out.

Chewie glanced down at the circular mouth.  _"Yuck."_

From the safety of the sails barge, Jabba motioned for 3PO to proceed.  _"Tell them, droid."_

With the utmost reluctance, 3PO addressed those that were to die, asking if any of them whished to beg Jabba for mercy.

" _Yeah, right,"_  Chewie muttered.

Slipping by unnoticed, R2 quickly went to get a good position at the top of the barge.  _"Here I come, Master Luke."_

Jabba didn't even notice the little droid as he watched the sarlacc's next intended meal.  _"Foolish Jedi."_

Putting on a brave front, Han shouted his outrage to the droid. "3PO, you tell that slimy piece of worm ridden filth, he'll get no such pleasure from us!"

" _Yeah,"_  Chewie growled.

"Right?"

" _Right!"_  the Wookiee said louder.

Getting into position, R2 calculated the exact coordinates for what he needed to do, taking reading of the wind speed and any other factors that needed to be included in his calculations. _"Perfect."_

Luke stepped forward in one last attempt to end things peacefully. "Jabba, this is your last chance. Free us, or die."

Jabba just laughed. At his command, the executioner pressed a blade into Luke's back, moving him out onto the platform. That was it then, it was to be a fight to the death. Luke gave the signal to those around him, including the disguised Lando behind him.

" _Ready,"_  R2 said quietly, sending the response signal with a motion of his body. A moment later, the Jedi saluted him, and the droid's compartment opened to reveal the lightsaber he had been carrying inside him the entire time.

"Put him in!" Jabba's voice thundered over the intercom.

It happened so fast. One moment Luke was falling, the next he was flipping in the air over his executioners' heads as the lightsaber R2 had launched went flying in the air.

" _Luke!"_  Chewie exclaimed in surprise, but the young Jedi paid him no mind as he reached for his flying lightsaber. The Force pulled it towards him, and a bright green beam ignited. The Wookiee stared at the beam, mesmerized.  _"Whoa."_

Then Luke was moving, his lightsaber flying at those on board the hovercraft. One of the guards was knocked off and went tumbling down into the sarclacc pit, disappearing into the darkness. Lando also tossed aside his helmet and attacked the guards, keeping them off of Han and Chewie as Luke swung around his glowing weapon.

As Lando quarreled with his guard, and Luke sent the last one falling into the sarlacc's mouth, Chewie turned around, presenting his bound hands to the Jedi.  _"Uncuff me! Quick!"_

Luke's hands went to the Wookiee's wrists. "Easy, Chewie."

Chaos broke out on the sails barge as Jabba furiously began shouting orders to his subjects. A lone gunner ran up to the top and began firing down at Luke and the others. The blast caused Lando to go tumbling down towards the pit with the guard he was fighting, and he just barely managed to grab onto the rope while his opponent fell into the sarlacc's mouth.

A moment later, Boba Fett landed on the hovercraft. He raised his gun at Luke, but a quick swipe of the Jedi's lightsaber cut the blaster in half.

Though Han's vision was indeed returning, he still couldn't see that well, and as another laser blast was fired, his life was only spared by Chewie tackling him. The laser blast, however, grazed the Wookiee's knee, and he cried out in pain

"Chewie, you're hit?" Han cried in alarm. "Where is it? I can't see, pal."

" _AH, my leg!"_  the Wookiee wailed, clutching his knee.

But Boba was far from helpless without his gun, and he fired a cord from his arm that wrapped around Luke. The gunner fired again, and but even with his arms bound, Luke swung his lightsaber in such a way and with such precise timing that he both cut the cord and deflected the laser, and the loss of leverage caused Boba to topple over.

"Han! Chewie!" Lando called desperately as he dangled above the sarlacc's gaping mouth.

Han blinked. "Lando?"

" _My leg! My leg!"_  Chewie continued to wail.

Several more lasers went flying through the air, drawing Luke's attention, and he turned to see the second hovercraft flying towards them as those onboard fired at him. Guided by the Force, he jumped an impossible distance, landed on the hovercraft, and began cutting his way through those onboard. He did not notice as Boba rose to his feet and took aim at him with the miniature blaster on his wrist.

Han had been in the process of finding something he could lower down for Lando to grab, and had taken up the weapon one of the executioners had been holding. He did not see Boba behind him, nor did he know the danger Luke was in.

But Chewie did, and he cried out a warning to Han.  _"Boba Fett!"_

The former smuggler turned to the Wookiee in surprise. "Boba Fett?"

" _He's gonna shoot him!"_

"Boba Fett is? Where?"

He spun around, searching for the bounty hunter, and the end of his weapon struck Boba's jetpack, igniting it. The bounty hunter took off like a rocket, and crashed into the sail's barge. He dropped down to the sandy ground and went tumbling into the sarlacc's mouth.

Jabba was furious. Nothing was going as planned. Somehow, this one boy was besting him and all his men. He would not have it!  _"Get down there!"_

But Leia had sat by idly long enough. She was through catering to this grotesque creature. It was time for her to take a stand. She struck the control panel, and the blinds fell shut, enveloping them all in darkness.

Jabba blinked and looked around in confusion.  _"What the?"_

A moment later, Leia grabbed the chain Jabba himself had placed around her neck and wrapped it around his, where she proceeded to strangle the life out of the ruthless crime lord.

The numerous laser blasts were beginning to take a toll on the hovercraft. It began to tilt in the air, nearly causing Han to fall off and into the sarlacc pit as he attempted to reach for Lando.

"Grab me, Chewie!" he shouted to his Wookiee friend.

Chewie crawled over and wrapped his arms around Han's feet.  _"Got you."_

Luke realized that if he didn't take out that gunner, then his friends wouldn't make it. Once again using the Force to make an astounding jump, he leapt onto the late Jabba's sail barge, climbed up, and cut down the gunner.

" _Hurry!"_  Chewie hollered down to Han.

The former smuggler was doing his best, and after a close call, managed to get Lando back up onto the hovercraft.

As for Leia, after having finished off Jabba, she still had a little problem of being chained, but R2 was on that.  _"Hold still,"_  he said, sending out a shock from his electric pike that severed the chain.

Free at last, Leia tossed aside the other end of the chain. "Come on, we gotta get out of here."

" _Just a second,"_  the astromech droid replied, glancing around for his golden friend.

He found him thrashing about on the ground as Salacious Crumb attempted to gnaw out the poor protocol droid's eye. "Oh, my eyes! R2, help!"

Once more, R2 extended his electric pike.  _"Hold on."_

A jolt of electricity struck the Kowakian monkey-lizard, and the creature went yelping to the ceiling in a humorous manner.  _"Ah! What hit me?"_

3PO sat up, one of his eyes dangling out of its socket. "You beast!"

Crumb glared down at the pair, shouting insults at them.  _"That hurt! Rotten droid!"_

But there was no time to worry about the little creature. The time had come to make their escape. Following the astromech droid's directions, 3PO soon found himself on the roof. "R2, where are we going?"

" _Jump,"_  the little droid replied, running into him from behind.

"I couldn't ju- AHHH!"

R2 immediately went tumbling down after him into the soft sand.  _"Wa-hoo!"_

Following Luke's orders, Leia hurried over to the large cannon on the barge's roof and aimed it at the deck. Luke grabbed a rope and called her over, kicking the lever on the cannon, setting the barge ablaze before he swung onto the intact hovercraft with Leia clinging to him. "Let's go. And don't forget the droids.

Lando gave him a smile. "We're on our way."

Small explosions began spreading across the barge as the hovercraft flew over the sand. R2 helped them by raising his sensor to announce his and 3PO's presence.  _"Hello! Master Luke, we're over here!"_  They were soon spotted, and lifted up onto the hovercraft.  _"Going up!"_

With everyone accounted for, the hovercraft sped off into the distance as Jabba's sail barge went up in a fiery explosion.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

LEAVING TATOONIE

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They were finally leaving Tatoonie, hopefully for good this time. R2 certainly wouldn't miss the place, and hoped never to see it again. Right now, he was where he was meant to be, inside the cockpit of Luke's X-Wing with the Jedi in the pilot's seat.

Plugged into the computer system, R2 got a reading of where Luke had programmed the ship to fly to. Knowing that the alliance would be assembling to plan its attack on the Empire's new Death Star, he quickly checked to make sure Luke hadn't made a mistake.  _"Master Luke, are these coordinates right?"_

His words came up on the computer screen for Luke to read, and the young Jedi smiled at them. "That's right, R2, we're going to the Degobah System."

Truth be told, R2 wasn't too thrilled about that. The swamp planet wasn't exactly his cup of tea, even if it was the home of one of the greatest warriors to ever live.  _"What are we going back Degobah for?"_

Taking a glove, Luke used it to cover the laser blast he had gotten on his mechanical hand during the battle on Tatoonie when he wasn't paying attention. "I have a promise to keep… to an old friend."

That promise was to none other than Yoda himself, the 900 year-old Jedi Master. Even though Luke had continued using what the little creature had taught him, he had still promised to come back, and he was going to keep that promise.

And so, R2 found himself, once again, on the swamp planet while Luke sat inside the old Jedi's house.  _"Well, back here again."_

But it seemed that they wouldn't be staying long. And neither would Yoda. Though his species were known to have very long lifespans, the old Jedi Master had long since reached his limit. Having grown sick and weak, he had been holding on by pure willpower to have one last conversation with Luke before his time came.

But of all the things Yoda had or could have told him, there was only one thing Luke wanted,  _needed_ , to know. "Master Yoda,  _is_  Darth Vader my father?"

The old Jedi tensed. So it was finally here, out in the open. No more deceptions or half-truths, no more prolonging the inevitable or keeping secrets. The time had finally come. "Your father he is."

It was a horrible revelation, but for some reason, Luke wasn't upset. Deep down, he had known the truth, had known it all along. He had tried to convince himself for so long that what the Sith Lord had told him last year in Cloud City had been a lie, but he knew. There was anger though, anger at the deception played by both Obi-Wan and Yoda.

No, not Yoda. Yoda hadn't lied to him, not like Obi-Wan had; he had simply neglected to tell Luke the truth. But the old Jedi quickly stomped out that anger by explaining that Luke hadn't been ready for the burden of the truth, and Luke realized he had been right; he hadn't been ready, not then, maybe not even now.

They were running out of time, but there was still more to be said. And as Yoda lay in bed, struggling with all his might to keep death at bay, he spoke his last words. "Luke… there is… another… S-Sky…walker…"

And just like that, the life left one of the greatest Jedi Masters of all time ended. So at one with the Force, he was claimed by it completely, his body vanishing into thin air.

And then Luke was alone. The last Jedi in the galaxy, possibly the entire universe, unless some life forms in another galaxy discovered the mystic power as well. But for all intents and purposes, he was the last.

As he walked over to his ship, R2 noted his master's distress.  _"Master Luke, are you ok? I'm sorry about Master Yoda. He was a great man. Master?"_

The despairing Jedi looked at the astromech droid. "I can't do it, R2."

" _What do you mean, you can't? What do you mean?"_

"I can't go on alone."

He did not expect a response he could understand, but he received one all the same. "Yoda will always be with you."

Turning, he saw it. No, not it,  _him_. "Obi-Wan."

Walking towards him was the transparent image of his old friend and mentor in the form of a Force Ghost. Having learned to master death, he was able to manipulate the Midi-chlorians to manifest himself like this from the other side. It was as close to immortality as one could get. And, in an ironic twist of fate, it was forever out of the Sith's ability to achieve, even though eternal life was their ultimate goal. But being far too concerned and hungry for physical and worldly desires, it was an ability no Sith would ever be able to gain.

But right now, Luke was in no mood to discuss the differences between the Jedi and the Sith. He had gotten an answer to his first question from Yoda, now he needed one from Obi-Wan. "Why didn't you tell me? You told me Vader betrayed and  _murdered_  my father."

His tone was accusatory, and a sorrowful look appeared on the deceased Jedi's transparent face. It was true, but it hadn't been a lie, not really. Rather, it was how Obi-Wan chose to remember things. The Anakin Skywalker that he knew, the kind and compassionate man who always thought of others, who dove into danger to save as many lives he could, who was so passionate about his beliefs that he would defy the Jedi Council, who had so much love in his heart that he was never able to cast it aside despite the threat the Dark Side presented, could never and would never do the things Darth Vader had done.

No, not Anakin, never Anakin. It was Vader. The moment he discarded his identity as Anakin Skywalker and chose to become Darth Vader, Obi-Wan had considered his friend dead, with only an evil Sith Lord in his place. Vader was so different from Anakin that the two couldn't possibly be the same person. Having left all the goodness in his heart, he abandoned everything that had made him Anakin Skywalker to become someone else.

Obi-Wan confessed his twisted version of the truth to the boy. He reminisced some of the good times he had with his old friend before he fell prey to the Dark Side. And he had been prey, for that was how the Dark Side worked. It preyed on your weaknesses, your emotions. Under its guidance, Darth Sidious had used Anakin's fear and love against him. All Anakin had wanted to do was save his wife, and the Dark Side tempted him with a way that could be done.

But as Yoda had told Luke time and time again, once you start down the path of the Dark Side, forever will it dominate your destiny. Even though Anakin had good intentions, he had still done something horrible. From there, it had become easier and easier to perform his wicked deeds, until he no longer felt any guilt at all, until he chose to do such acts of cruelty willingly.

And that was why he needed to be stop.

"There is still good in him," Luke told his old mentor.

And it was true. He had sensed it. Somewhere, deep down, a glimmer of the person Vader had once been still remained. Old dreams of doing good, memories of a better life, love he still held for his mother, his wife, his son. These were things that were not part of the Dark Side, and they were there. But Luke had ignored what he had sensed in the past, thinking Vader had been his father's killer, and not wanting to see the Sith Lord as redeemable in any way.

But now that he knew the truth, that a part of his father, his real father, no matter how small, was still inside Vader somewhere, Luke knew he couldn't bring himself to kill him.

Obi-Wan looked away remorsefully. "Then the emperor has already won. You were our only hope."

But was he? Was he really? The more recently deceased Jedi's words played in his memory. "Yoda spoke of another."

Obi-Wan looked back at him. The time for secrets was truly over. "The other he spoke of was your twin sister?"

Luke's face screwed up in confusion. "But I have no sister."

A small smile grazed Obi-Wan's face. "To protect you both from the emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born. The emperor knew, as I did, that if Anikan were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains anonymous."

As the ghostly Jedi spoke, pieces of the puzzle began falling into place. "Leia! Leia's my sister!"

This explained it, the instant connection he felt towards her. The bond they had and the love they shared for each other. They had both been confused, thinking that love to be romantic since the truth had never possibly occurred to either of them. It was no secret that Leia was adopted, but they had never once considered this possibility. Their love wasn't romantic; it was  _family_.

A look of pride filled Obi-Wan's face. "Your insight serves you well. Bury your feelings deep down, Luke. They do you credit, but they could be made to serve the emperor."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

PLANNING THE ATTACK

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The first Death Star had been bad enough, but this new one promised to be much worse. Nearly twice the size, and with a lot more firepower, the Empire was not going to make the same mistakes it did the last time. Any exhaust ports the new Death Star had would undoubtedly be heavily guarded. The Empire hadn't even  _considered_  the small holes to be a weak spot on their first "ultimate battle station" until the Rebel's attack had already commenced.

No, the Empire would not be making the same mistake twice. Which was why the Rebels knew that they had to destroy this new more powerful Death Star before it was completed. Fortunately, its weapon system was not yet operation, but that would not make the attack any easier.

The real problem, presently, wasn't even the Death Star itself. Orbiting the forest moon of Endor, it was being protected by an energy shield on the moon until it was complete. Should any ships get too close, the shield would see to it that they met a rather explosive end.

So, before they could take out the Death Star, they had to destroy the shield generator on the moon.

"Wonder who they found to pull that off," Leia whispered to Han beside her.

Admiral Gial Ackbar glanced at the former smuggler. "General Solo, is your strike team assembled?"

Han tried very hard not to look at Leia as he replied, "My team's ready. I don't have a command crew for the shuttle."

" _Hey!"_  Chewie raged beside him.

"It's gonna be rough, pal," Han told him, "I didn't want to speak for you."

" _Come on, I'm with you."_

Smirking, Han turned back to the admiral. "That's one."

"General," Leia addressed him proudly, "count me in."

"I'm with you too!" a new voice declared.

Luke had arrived, having made it back from Degobah in time to catch the end of the meeting. Leia, Han, and Chewie all went to greet him.

" _Luke!"_  the Wookiee cried in greeting.

Leia reached him first and gave him a hug. As they broke the embrace, she noticed something different about him. He was staring at her strangely, like he understood something. "What is it?"

He just smiled. "Ask me again some time."

"Luke."

"Hi, Han." He nodded to the Wookiee. "Chewie."

" _Hey."_

They were all together again after a year apart, ready and willing to take on the Empire one last time. It was making R2 feel rather giddy.  _"It's so exciting!"_

Beside him, 3PO was feeling something different. "Exciting is  _hardly_  the word I would choose."

With no time to waste, the Rebels went about their duties. After reluctantly entrusting the Millennium Falcon to the newly promoted  _General_  Lando, Han and the others boarded the stolen Imperial Lambda-class T-4a shuttle, Tydirium. Chewie was in the co-pilot seat, like always, but was unfamiliar with the control system.

" _You think I can fly this?"_ he asked skeptically as he looked at the design.

While Han normally would have had a snarkier response, he was feeling rather down. "No, I don't think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie."

" _Great,"_  Chewie grumbled.

But Han barely heard his hairy friend. He was staring intently at the Falcon. That ship had been his livelihood for as long as he could remember. It was more than a ship, it was his home, it was a part of him, and there was a high probability that it wouldn't be coming back.

Leia looked at him in concern and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you awake?"

He gave her a reassuring nod. "Yeah, I just got a funny feeling, like I'm not gonna see here again."

The princess looked at the ship, feeling her own affection for it. That ship had gotten her through quite a bit too. It was almost a second home, and she too didn't want this to be the last time they saw it.

" _Ready,"_  Chewie told them, interrupting their reminiscing.

Han didn't seem to hear, so Leia patted his shoulder. "Come on, general, lets move."

Han seemed to snap put of his stupor. "Right. Chewie."

" _Yes?"_

"Lets see what this piece of junk can do."

Everyone strapped themselves in as the engines fired up.

" _Time to end the Empire,"_  R2 declared.

3PO was far less enthusiastic. "Here we go again."

A few moments later, they were flying out of the docking bay and blasting off at light speed. The stars whizzed by in a swirling vortex as they traveled hundreds of thousands of miles in seconds, their destination, Endor.

It seemed to take forever to reach the forest-covered moon, yet it also seemed to happen all too quickly. At a reasonable distance away, the ship came out of light speed, and the massively large Death Star floated before them, 160 kilometers in diameter to the original's 120.

" _Approaching,"_  Chewie told them.

Han could see that for himself. He would ever show it, let alone admit it, but he was feeling rather nervous right now. "If they don't go for this, we're going to have to get out of here pretty quick, Chewie."

" _Yeah,"_  the Wookiee agreed.

All too soon, a voice spoke out to them from the Empire largest Super Star Destroyer, appropriately named Executor. "Shuttle Tiderian, transmit to the clearance code for shield passing."

Chewie glanced at Han.  _"Ready?"_

The former smuggler didn't bother to answer his friend. "Transmission commencing."

"Now we find out if that code is worth the price we paid," Leia grumbled.

Covering his anxiety with cockiness, Han gave her a cheeky smile. "It'll work. It'll work."

" _Hopefully,"_  Chewie muttered.

Luke, however, was suddenly not feeling so sure. He sensed something on that ship, something dark, evil, familiar. Though not as sinister as the pure darkness he sensed on the Death Star itself, he knew there was only one person with a presence like this. "Vader's on that ship."

" _Ooh,"_  R2 muttered worriedly.

Though Han had come to believe in the Force, he was still somewhat skeptical about its true power. "Now don't get jittery, Luke; there's a lot of command ships." But just in case. "Keep you distance though, Chewie, but don't  _look_  like you're trying to keep your distance?"

The Wookiee gave him a bewildered look.  _"What?"_

"I don't know!" Han grumbled, not even sure what he was trying to say. "Fly casual."

" _Fine."_

But Luke knew that no matter how much they tried to blend in, there was no hiding his presence from the Sith Lord. "I'm endangering the mission, I shouldn't have come."

"It's your imagination, kid. Come on, let's keep a little optimism." Or so Han said, but as the seconds ticked by, and there was no word from the Empire, he began getting more and more nervous until, finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "They're not going for it, Chewie."

" _Why?"_  the Wookiee asked as he wondered what was wrong with the clearance code they had given. But a few seconds later, they were informed that they were clear to land on Endor, and he breathed a sigh of relief.  _"Phew."_

Han's cockiness was back with a vengeance. "Ok. I told you it was gonna work."

Chewie resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  _"You were right."_

"No problem."

Luke, however, wasn't so sure.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

ON ENDOR

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Hiking through the forest was usually meant to be an enjoyable activity, but not this time. The squad of Rebel soldiers were on a mission, one that required stealth. If they failed to take out the shield generator…

No, that wasn't an option, not if they wanted to hold onto any hope in restoring freedom to the galaxy.

" _There,"_  Chewie growled, his sensitive nose detecting something that wasn't part of the forest, nor part of their group. His nose proved to be true as, just up ahead, two Stormtrooper scouts were out patrolling

"Should we try and go around?" Leia suggested.

"It'll take time," Luke pointed out. Fortunately, they still had some time before the attack on the Death Star was set to commence.

"This whole party will be for nothing if they see us," Han reminded them.

" _Han?"_  Chewie inquired.

Han knew what his Wookiee friend was saying, and he agreed. "Chewie and I will take care of this. You stay here."

"Quietly!" Luke warned. "There might be more of them out there."

Cue Han's arrogance. "Hey, it's me."

The rest of the squad remained in hiding as Han and Chewie snuck down to the two scouts. They didn't want to risk using their blasters and possibly have any others in hearing distance realize that they were here. It would safer to silently strike without alerting anyone to their presence.

" _Ready,"_  Chewie whispered to Han as he poked his head out from behind a tree.

Han was too. He stepped out of hiding, slowly making his way towards the scout… only to step on a branch. It snapped in half beneath his foot, and the scout turned to him, delivering a quick backhanded blow.

The next thing Han knew, he was engaged in a fierce fistfight with the Stormtrooper. The other one quickly made a run for it, going to his speeder bike and flying off.

" _Stop!"_  Chewie shouted, firing at the retreating scout. He fired after him, striking the bike, and the Stormtrooper went flying as it exploded beneath him.

It seemed though, that the two scouts hadn't been alone. Two others had been close by, and they quickly sped off on their own bikes. Luke and Leia moved quickly, hopping onto the bike of the scout Han was quarreling with, and took off after them.

The rest of the squad eventually moved in to help Han, and the scout was subdued. But with Luke and Leia off to who knew where, all they could do was wait for them to come back.

" _I'm detecting movement,"_ R2 suddenly announced a good while later.  _"I can't read who, but it's human."_

Knowing that no one else could understand his friend, 3PO translated for him. "Oh, General Solo, somebody's coming!"

" _Who is it?"_  Chewie asked as he and the rest of the squad pulled out their blasters.

When he saw who it was, Han felt a great weight lift off his chest. "Luke!"

" _Finally,"_  the Wookiee grumbled impatiently, eager to get back to the mission.

But it seemed the mission would have to wait as Luke revealed that he and Leia had been separated. Being one of the highest-ranking leaders in the Rebel army, Leia's safety took precedence over many things. But it was more than that for Luke and Han, as they sent the squad ahead while they went to look for her.

"Come on, R2, we'll need your scanners," Luke said to the droid.

" _Right, I'm on it now,"_  the astromech droid said as he rolled out of his hiding place in the bushes.

"Don't worry, Master Luke, we know what to do," 3PO told him, as if he were of any use at all at the moment.

" _Hurry!"_  Chewie growled at him.

Turning around, 3PO threw a glare at R2, or would have if his face were capable of it. "And you said it was  _pretty_  here. Gah!"

" _Well, it is,"_  R2 grumbled as he rolled after them.  _"You're such a grouch."_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

LEIA MEETS WICKET

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The young Ewok hunter known as Wicket Wystri Warrick fancied himself a brave warrior. Brave, but cautious. And there had been a great need to be cautious with the intruders about. Neither Wicket nor anyone else in his village knew where they came from or why, but they were destroying the forest with their evil ways.

The creature before him seemed to be of the same species, similar, but different, and not simply because it was female. It was also lying on the forest floor, either asleep or dead. Wicket gave it a few curious pokes with his spear, and the creature suddenly sat up, startling him. "Cut it out!"

Wicket jumped back in surprise and pointed his spear at her.  _"Don't move,"_ he warned. He put on his bravest face, but the creature only seemed to relax after seeing him. This only confused Wicket, and he cocked his head to the side, studying her with interest.  _"What are you?"_

Instead of answering, she got up started to walk away. Wicket braced himself for any tricks she might use.  _"Stay back, or I swear I'll run you through."_ He kept his spear out in front of him, his threat clear as she walked past him.  _"Back. Back."_

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Leia assured the little creature, even though she was pretty sure he wouldn't understand her language. She sat down, and the two stared at each other.

Feeling more at ease, Wicket cautiously approached.  _"Who are you?"_

But it seemed his own words were as foreign to her as hers were to him. Rather than answer, she began talking to herself. "Well, looks like I'm stuck here. Trouble is, I don't know where 'here' is."

She'd been forced to abandon her bike during the chase, but, fortunately, the Stormtrooper scout she had been chasing had crashed shortly afterwards. She looked to the Ewok. "Maybe you can help me. Come on, sit down."

She patted the spot beside her, but Wicket only growled and pointed his spear at her again, not trusting her. Leia couldn't help but smile in amusement. "I promise, I'm won't hurt you, now come here."

Even though Wicket couldn't understand her, her invitation was clear.  _"No!"_  he growled in response.

Still amused, Leia reached into her pocket. "Alright. You want something to eat?"

The scent of whatever it was hit Wicket's nose.  _"Food?"_ He never smelled anything like it before, but his nose told him that that's what it was.  _"Oh, ok then."_

Less wary, he approached her, thinking more with his stomach than his head. Not that he was completely without caution. He still kept some distance between himself and her as he reached out and snatched whatever she was offering out of her hand.

" _Food,"_  he confirmed. He sniffed it before giving it a nibble.  _"I like it."_  Feeling more at ease, he sat down beside her and started eating.  _"Good."_  But then a sudden movement out of the corner of his eyes startled him as Leia removed her helmet. With a yelp of surprise, he rolled away from her and quickly raised his spear.  _"What are you doing?! What is that?"_

Bewildered, Leia looked to the helmet in her hands, then held it out to him. "Look, it's a hat. It's not gonna hurt you. Look."

He saw that what she held out didn't seem to be animate. With renewed curiosity, he approached her once more, reaching out to take the helmet.  _"Let me see."_

"You're a jittery little thing," Leia said with a smile.

And with good cause. With much more sensitive ears than what Leia possessed, something caught Wicket's attention, and he dropped the helmet as he pointed his spear towards the forest.

The smile left Leia's face, and she began looking around. "What is it?"

Wicket didn't understand her question, but it was easy enough to guess what she had asked.  _"The intruders,"_  he whispered to her. He sniffed the air, trying to pick up their scent. He could smell them, and he gestured with his spear.  _"They're out there."_

A moment later, a laser blast struck beside them, and both Wicket and Leia rolled backwards behind the fallen tree for cover. No further gunfire came, and the human and Ewok peeked up from their hiding place, the former with her own blaster in her hand.

" _It's them alright,"_  Wicket told her. A moment later, there was another blast fired, and he immediately rolled beneath the tree to hide.  _"Look out, they're coming! Quick, hide!"_

But Leia did not follow. She kept searching for the shooter, not seeing the Imperial scout sneak up behind until his gun was on her. "Freeze! Come on, get up!" With great reluctance, she dropped her weapon and stood up as the shooter, another scout, came out of hiding. "Go get you're ride and take her back to base."

"Yes, sir."

Down below, Wicket glared at the scout that was threatening his new friend. "Take this!" he cried, smacking the scout's leg with his spear.

It drew the scout's attention, allowing Leia to knock him out with a blow to the head, and then quickly fire upon the other scout, causing him and his bike to crash into the other one, resulting in a fiery explosion.

Wicket didn't see what happened, but he realized that the cost was clear when he crawled out of hiding.  _"They gone?"_  He waved his spear in triumph.  _"Victory!"_

"Come on, let's get out of here," Leia suggested. Taking him by the hand, she began to lead him away, not really knowing where she was going.

But Wicket knew. He grew up in these woods, and knew them like the back of his hand.  _"No, wait. That's wrong."_ He pointed in the other direction; intent on returning the favor of food and protection she had given him.  _"This way. Come on. Food. Come on."_

Leia hesitated for a moment before following. After all, she had no idea where she was. Maybe her new friend could help her.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

SEARCHING FOR LEIA

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Several hours later, the search party eventually ended up where Leia and Wicket met. Luke had wandered a short distance away from the others, and came across Leia's discarded helmet. This was the first real sign they had found of her in hours. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was something.

Han's urgent cries for him suddenly had him running back to the group, and he quickly reunited with his friends.

"Oh, Master Luke," said 3PO.

R2 looked at what Han had found; the remains of a destroyed bike.  _"Look."_

" _Not good,"_  Chewie whimpered.

Luke didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but his friends deserved the truth, especially Han. "There's two more wrecked speeders back there." He held out Leia's helmet. "And I found this."

Right on cue, 3PO was there to make things worse. "I'm afraid R2's sensors can find no trace of the princess."

" _I got nothing,"_  the astromech droid confirmed.

Han tried, but he was unable to mask his concern. "I hope she's alright."

Just then, Chewie caught a scent.  _"Look! There."_

The smuggler turned general and glanced at him "What, Chewie?"

" _There."_

"What Chewie?"

The Wookiee hurried along through the endless forest until he reached what his nose had detected, a dead animal hanging from a robe.  _"Here. I knew I smelled something. See. Looks fresh. See."_

The others caught up, giving the carcass a strange look. "Hey, I don't get it," Han grumbled impatiently.

The dead animal was very obviously a trap meant to lure bigger game, but Chewie was hungry, and he didn't always think properly when he was hungry.  _"It's mine."_

Han really couldn't have cared less. "Eh, it's just a dead animal, Chewie."

" _Mine,"_  the Wookiee repeated, reaching for it.

Luke didn't even need to feel the warning in the Force for him to realize what was about to happen, and he quickly tried to stop his hairy friend. "Chewie, wait, wait, DON'T!"

Too late. One moment they were standing around, the next they were several feet in the air in a net, all piled on top of each other. As if things weren't bad enough. If Han were able to, he'd glare at his Wookiee friend. "Nice work."

" _Oops, my bad."_

But Han wasn't done raving yet. "Great, Chewie."

" _Sorry."_

"Great. Always think with you stomach."

" _Sorry…"_

Even Luke's frustration was beginning to creep through his Jedi training of keeping his emotions intact. "Will you take it easy! Lets just figure out a way to get out of this thing!" He tried to reach his belt, but his arms were caught. "Han, can you reach my lightsaber?"

Han looked and thought he could manage it. "Yeah, sure."

" _Get us down,"_  Chewie pleaded, not liking being up in the air like this.

" _Wait, I got this,"_  R2 told them. A moment later, one of his compartments opened, and a small buzz saw popped out and began cutting into the net.

Something was telling 3PO that R2 had missed something in his calculation. "R2, I'm not sure that's such a good idea; it's a very long DROOOOOOOP!"

They went from being a pile in the air to a pile on the ground, but at least they were out of the net. But it seemed that this was an 'out of the frying pan and into the fire' situation. As the group recovered from their fall, the Ewok hunting party that had been lying in wait came out of hiding, each one wielding lethal looking spears.

R2 suddenly wished they were back up in the net again.  _"Ooh, scary."_

More and more Ewoks appeared, giving their intended prey curious looks.  _"Hey, what'd we catch?"_

" _I don't really care what they are, as long as we can eat them. I'm famished."_

" _They look edible."_

Chewie stared back at the equally furry creature, completely bewildered.  _"What they? Han?"_

Another Ewok looked from the humans, to R2, to the Wookiee.  _"What are they?"_

Han was wondering that himself, but he didn't seem to think that they were a threat until the Ewok known as Teebo, who seemed to be the head of the hunting party, pointed his spear at him when he began to rise.  _"Stop there!"_

The former smuggler seemed taken aback. It soon gave way to irritation, and he pushed it out of his face. "Hey, point that thing someplace else."

Teebo turned to the Ewok beside him.  _"What did it say?"_

" _I don't know. You think it's dangerous?"_

" _Dangerous?"_  He motioned at Han.  _"Come on, look at it."_

The last few strands of Han's temper were about to snap as he grabbed the spear that was once again in his face. He didn't have time to play these little games. He needed to find Leia, and these little creatures were getting in his way. A few laser blasts shot into the sky would be sure to chase them off.

Luke grabbed his hand. "Han, don't. It'll be alright."

" _Let go of my spear!"_  Teebo demanded, trying to pull his spear back.  _"Let go."_

" _Just stab it,"_  another Ewok encouraged.

It seemed that the Ewoks didn't recognize the blaster that Han held, but Chewie's weapon resembled their bows and arrows too much, and they quickly tried to take it from him.

" _Hey!"_  the Wookiee protested.

Luke intervened before there was any bloodshed. "Chewie, give 'em your crossbow."

" _It's mine!"_  Chewie protested, but reluctantly let the Ewoks have it.  _"Hey!"_

That's when 3PO chose to sit up, and the reaction of the Ewoks was quite unexpected. Shocked gasps went all around as they stared at the golden protocol droid in stunned disbelief. There were several cries of  _"Look!"_  and  _"I don't believe it!"_  from the furry creatures, and they began whispering amongst themselves, several falling to their knees.

3PO stared at the furry creatures in bewilderment. "Oh my goodness."

One Ewok turned to another and gestured at 3PO.  _"It's the Golden One. The one from legend."_

A chanting prayer was soon emitted from the group of Ewoks as they repeatedly bowed to the protocol droid.  _"Gold One. Gold One. Gold One."_

Teebo reached out to him.  _"Bless us! Bless us!"_

Utterly confused, Chewie glanced at the former smuggler.  _"Han?"_

But he was just as lost, and it seemed 3PO was too, even though he could understand what the Ewoks were saying, and responded in kind.  _"Greetings. You're saying I am the Golden One?"_

Now it was the Ewoks' turn to be confused.  _"He doesn't know?"_

" _He's testing us,"_  another one replied.

Luke gave the droid a curious look. "Do you understand anything they're saying?"

"Oh, yes, Master Luke," 3PO assured him. "Remember that I am fluent in over six million forms of communi-"

"What are you telling them?" Han interrupted.

3PO ran over what he had said in his mind. "Hello, I think. I could be mistaken, they're using a very primitive dialect, but I do believe they think that I am some sort of god."

R2 openly scoffed at that.  _"You? Yeah right!"_

Luke smiled in amusement, but Chewie saw this as a good opportunity.  _"Perfect."_

Han's thoughts were similar to Chewie's. "Well, why don't you use your  _divine_  influence and get us out of this."

3PO gave him what would have been a sorrowful look. "I beg your pardon, General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper."

"Proper?"

"It's against my programming to impersonate a deity."

And with that, Han's temper snapped. "Why you!"

He was on his feet without thinking, moving towards the droid. He had no plans of what he was going to do. Shout, pummel, switch off, dismantle, but he didn't get a chance as the Ewoks immediately turned their spears on him.

" _Blasphemer!"_

" _Stay down! How dare you rise to the Golden One!"_

Han reeled his temper back in as he realized he had just caused the Ewoks to become hostile again. "My mistake." He motioned towards the droid. "He's an old friend of mine."

He received glares from the Ewoks as one of them gave the order.  _"Round them up for transport."_

But the 'transport' as it was so elegantly put, consisted of binding the arms and legs of the others and carrying them on long sticks. 3PO, however, was placed upon a wooden throne the Ewoks had quickly constructed, and was now being carried like the deity the furry little creatures believed him to be.

Luke could have prevented their captured, but he was listening to the Force, and it was telling him not to act. Besides, these Ewoks were a peaceful people. It just so happened that this was a hunting party. Even those that weren't on the Dark Side needed to eat.

After a long day's travel, the group found themselves in the Ewok village. It was  _enormous_ , and very advanced for such a primitive race. Huts and bridges filled the trees all around as countless of the furry critters rushed to catch a glimpse of the Golden One as 3PO was brought to the village chief.

The others were brought to a far less appealing location. Luke and Chewie were tied off to the side as Han was left to dangling over what seemed to be a fire pit, the area beneath them full of ashes and burned bits of wood.

" _Stop it,"_  R2 snapped at the Ewoks as they placed him next Luke and Chewie, unable to have him dangle from a stick like the others.

"This isn't good," Chewie grumbled. He couldn't help but think that Han looked very much like pig on a rotisserie.

If Chewie didn't like it, Han hated it a whole lot more. "I have a really bad feeling about this."

A short distance away, the Ewoks cheered as the village chief, Logray, went to greet 3PO.  _"Welcome to our village, Golden One?"_

The droid nodded to him and spoke in his language.  _"Thank you. I am delighted to be here with you all."_

Wielding Luke's lightsaber as a trophy of sort, Logray waved it around, not knowing what power the device possessed.  _"We are honored, Golden One. We shall now have a feast in honor of your coming."_

Han didn't like being left in the dark. "What did he say?"

3PO responded almost shyly. "I'm rather embarrassed, General Solo, but it appears you are to be the main course at the banquet in my honor."

" _WHAT?!"_  Chewie exclaimed.

It seemed 3PO was right as the Ewoks began stacking sticks and logs in the fire pit beneath Han while singing a merry tune.  _"Stacking up the logs, to honor the Golden One."_

Drums began playing, drawing the attention of the village's guest. And as she came out to see, an Ewok waved her over.  _"Friend of Wicket, hurry, come and see."_

Neither Luke nor Han could believe their eyes as they called her name. "Leia!"

For a brief moment, the princess was overjoyed to see her friends, until she noticed the position they were in. Alarm flashed across her face, and she moved to go to them.

Surprisingly, the Ewoks turned their spears on her.  _"Wait, wait! You must not approach the Golden One!"_

" _Stay back!"_

" _Don't go near!"_

Leia couldn't understand, but the message was clear. "But these are my fiends," she told them. This got no reaction from the Ewoks as the one beside Han resumed singing and stacking up wood for a fire. Leia then turned her attention to the droid on the throne. "3PO, tell them they must be set free."

Logray gave 3PO a confused look as he tried out the word Leia used. "'Free'?"

" _Hurry!"_  Chewie cried, not liking how the pile of wood beneath Han was growing.

3PO turned to the chief.  _"These should not be eaten. We must let them go."_ This brought confused muttering from the Ewoks as the protocol droid continued.  _"Lets cut them down."_

The chief shook his head.  _"Don't worry, they're fine."_  He motioned to his people.  _"Keep going."_

Han didn't think there was any need to translate. "Somehow I got the feeling that didn't help us very much."

A knowing look crossed Luke's face as he stared at the golden droid. "3PO, tell them if they won't do as you wish, you'll become angry and use your magic."

3PO was taken aback. "But, Master Luke, what magic? I couldn't possibly-"

"Just tell them."

Still not understanding, 3PO did his best to convey this to the Ewoks. Not used to giving orders, he tried his best to sound authoritative.  _"Listen here. You'll face my wrath."_ This got their attention, and he continued.  _"The Golden One's wrath. My magic is terrible. This whole village will go boom!"_

Fearful whispering spread amongst the Ewoks.  _"What? He'll destroy us?"_

" _The Golden One does not destroy."_

Logray seemed to agree.  _"Be silent! Continue. The Golden One does not harm."_

3PO gave up. "You see, Master Luke, they didn't believe me; just as I said they wouldn't."

As the Ewoks prepared to light the fire beneath Han, Luke shut his eyes. Tapping into the Force, he focused on 3PO's so-called thrown, and commanded it to  _rise_.

Slowly, the protocol droid began to lift up into the air. Fearful cries echoed through the village as they witnessed this marvel. Several Ewoks clung to each other in fright, others ducking for cover while the rest fled.

" _Look, look, look! He's rising!"_

" _He's going to do it!"_

" _He'll destroy us all!"_

" _It's his wrath!"_

Trying to get control of his people, the chief shouted orders to the Ewoks.  _"Silence! Silence! Come back! Come back! Quickly, cut them loose! Hurry!"_

The Ewoks scrambled to fulfill 3PO's orders, shouting their apologies for doubting him.  _"Please forgive us."_

" _We're sorry."_

R2 glared as the Ewoks cut the robe wrapped around him.  _"About time. Whoops!"_  He toppled over, having been set down off balance. Teebo quickly helped him to his feet, but R2 was far from grateful, and his electric pike popped out.  _"You creeps. I'll teach you a thing or two."_

As he sent a few shocks at his former captor, Han and Leia ran to each other, kissing passionately as the Ewoks looked on.  _"Oooh, they must be mates."_

Other Ewoks had taken up bowing and praying to 3PO as Luke set him down again.  _"Gold One! Gold One!"_

Another Ewok worked up the courage to approach R2 again now that the droid had put away his pike, but the atromech droid just gave him what would have been a glare if he had eyes. _"Back off. I'm angry. You guys hurt me."_

Luke and Chewie joined up with Han and Leia, exchanging a group hug. Their team was complete once again, and Luke gave the protocol droid a cocky smile worthy of Han. "Thanks, 3PO."

The still flabbergasted droid was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened. "Why… I never knew I had it in me."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

THE EWOK VILLAGE AT NIGHT

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Night had fallen upon the village. The group was no longer prisoners of the Ewoks, but honored guests. Yet they had no idea of exactly who had grazed their presence, or what they had been through. Eager to learn about where their strange new friends came from, they turned to 3PO for answers, and the droid spent several hours telling the furry critters about their struggle against the Empire. The chiefs of other villages had come as well to hear the tale.

" _The Empire was everywhere,"_  3PO was saying as the crowd of Ewoks continued to grow.  _"They brought forth much evil! After Princess Leia gave R2 their secret plans, along came the evil Darth Vader."_  He made a breathing sound similar to Vader's for emphasis.  _"And he destroyed her planet with the Death Star. Then Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, challenged Vader with his lightsaber."_  He made another sound effect, this one of a lightsaber powering on.  _"But he was killed."_

" _Don't forget the AT-ATs,"_  R2 reminded him of their time on the ice planet, Hoth.

3PO nodded.  _"Yes, R2, I was just coming to that. They sent Walkers. Master Luke was shot down by one."_  More sounded effects were provided that startled several of the Ewoks. _"The rest of us took the Millennium Falcon to Cloud City."_ He fluttered his arms and made another sound effect.  _"But waiting there was Lord Vader."_  Another breathing sound.  _"Han Solo-"_

Chewie winced at the memory.  _"This part."_

" _Was put in carbonite."_ He made a hand gesture and another sound effect.  _"We even faced the sarlacc! Now we have come here to stop them."_

At the conclusion of his tale, whispered mutters spread amongst the Ewok. They had known that the intruders, as they had come to call the Stormtroopers, were bad, but 3PO's tale revealed just how horrible they and the entire Empire truly was.

As the different villages' chiefs spoke, the decision was almost unanimous, and it didn't take much to convince those that disagreed that something needed to be done.  _"We must stop this."_

" _This Empire is awful! It's evil! It's evil!"_

" _They'll come for us too eventually."_

" _All those in favor of helping our new friends to stop this evil, please speak now."_

" _We all agree, chief."_

Logray raised his arms in declaration.  _"It is decided then. We will fight."_  Drums began playing as he turned to 3PO.  _"You are one of us. We shall help."_

Thrilled, 3PO translated for those that couldn't understand. "Wonderful! We are now a part of the tribe!"

An Ewok suddenly threw its arms around Han, hugging him tightly. Han was startled at first, but then gave the furry critter a smile.  _"Just what I always wanted."_

R2 wasn't so sure about this.  _"Oh, great. What did you get us into?"_

Chewie was feeling a little unsure as well as an Ewok hugged him too.  _"Han?"_

The former smuggler gave him an 'oh, well' look as he tried to pry off another Ewok that was hugging his leg. "Well, short help is better than no help."

" _I love you, friend,"_  the Ewok on his leg told him, refusing to let go.

With all the celebrating going on, no one noticed Luke slip out, nor did they see Leia follow him. They wouldn't hear the shocking conversation between them where Luke revealed Darth Vader's identity as his father and his plan to attempt to turn him back to the Light Side. He also, heedless of Obi-Wan's warning to bury his feelings, revealed to Leia that she was his sister. It would be a stunning revelation to her, and later she would contemplate the fact that this meant that Vader was her father as well.

Han, meanwhile, finally managed to pry the Ewoks off him as 3PO informed him of what Logray told him. "He says the scouts are going to show us the quickest way to the shield generator."

"Good," Han replied. "How far is it?"

"Uh…"

"Ask him."

3PO turned back to the chief.  _"How far is the-"_

"We need some fresh supplies too."

" _We need some-"_

"Try and get our weapons back."

" _May we have our-"_

"Hurry up, will you? I haven't got all day."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

THE SHIELD GENERATOR

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The sun was shining brightly the next day, but it was to be a dark one. A day full of death and destruction, with the final battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire coming to a close.

It would also be a day of temptation for a father and a son. Luke had done what he said he would do. He had turned himself over to Vader with the intent to bring him back to the Light. He knew it wouldn't be easy. Anakin Skywalker had been buried deep in the darkness of Darth Vader's heart for so long that it would take much to bring him back.

Luke had tried, he'd pleaded with his father to see reason, to see the light in more ways than one, but it was useless. Anakin Skywalker carried too much pain, too much regret, too much guilt. The darkness gave him sanctuary from all that, and the power to crush it whenever it crept up on him. Vader could not turn away from that, not after 24 years of denying that part of him in exchange for something so great.

But as the Stormtroopers led Luke away, is son's words did get him thinking…

The others had their own mission. They had to take out the shield generator before the Rebel fleet arrived, or there would be no chance to stop the Empire. The Ewoks served as their guide, leading them through the forest while easily avoiding any Stormtroopers. Wicket was with them, having been put in charge of the scouts while the rest of his village headed towards others to plead with their fellow Ewoks for help.

Poking his head out from hiding, Chewie waved the others over.  _"Come on. Be careful."_

They looked down the hill just in time to see the shuttle Luke and Vader were on take off and disappear into the sky.

"The main entrance to the control bunker is on the other side of that landing platform," Leia told them. "This isn't going to be easy."

Cocky Han was back. "Hey, don't worry. Chewie and me got into a lot of places more heavily guarded than this."

" _Yeah,"_  the Wookiee agreed.

Wicket, meanwhile, was discussing something with one of his brethren. "There's another way."

3PO looked at him curiously.  _"You mean a secret entrance? Where is it?"_

" _The other side of the ridge. I've seen it."_

His gesturing drew Leia's attention. "What's he saying?"

"He says there's a secret entrance on the other side of the ridge."

It was enough to convince Han and Leia; the Ewoks certainly knew their way around. In any case, they had to hurry before the fleet arrived.

In fact, the fleet was making their final preparations right now. Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Lando led the attack with a Sullestan named Nien Nunb acting as his co-pilot. It was quite an honor, but Nunb was understandably nervous.  _"Are you positive the others will take out the shield?"_

Lando was almost as arrogant as Han in his response. "Don't worry, my friend's down there. He'll have that shield down in time."

" _You better be right about that."_

Then gaain, maybe not  _quite_  that arrogant. "Or this'll be the shortest offensive of all time."

Things were going according to plan though. The Ewoks had led Han, Leia, and the others to the back entrance of the shield generator. Being a secret entrance, it wasn't that heavily guarded, but there were still four Stormtrooper scouts.

An Ewok known as Paploo signaled for Han to come over and pointed at the entrance.  _"Look, it's over there."_

Han nodded in understanding. "Back door, huh? Good idea."

Paploo seemed to understand his meaning.  _"Be careful."_

Turning back to the scouts, Han immediately tried to come up with a plan. He had no way of knowing that Wicket and his fellow Ewok had cooked up one of their own.

" _Ready?"_  Wicket asked.

Paploo nodded.  _"Yes, I will steal their steed."_

" _You are certain of this?"_

" _Yes, I'll draw them towards me."_

" _You are brave. Good luck."_  He then went over to report to 3PO.  _"My lord, the plan's in motion."_

3PO started.  _"The plan? What do you mean?"_ This was beginning to feel like one of those times R2 would come up with a crazy idea and not tell him about it.

As Han and Leia discussed what they should do about the guards, 3PO listened to what Wicket had to say. He was les than thrilled. "Oh my! Princess Leia!" He lowered his voice when she covered his mouth. "I'm afraid our furry companion has gone and done something rather rash."

" _Look!"_  Chewie gasped.

"Oh no!" Leia grumbled.

Han was equally as displeased. "There goes our surprise attack."

Paploo had made his way over to the Stormtroopers' bike and climbed up on one. He had seen the intruders ride these strange creatures before. It didn't seem like it would be that difficult to ride one.

Mimicking what he had seen the Stormtroopers do, he started up the bike, drawing the attention of the scouts. "Look, over there! Stop him!"

It all happened so fast that everyone simply reacted without thinking. The Ewok spend off on the bike, and three of the four scouts hopped onto theirs and gave chase, leaving only the one behind.

Han's irritation was quickly replaced with admiration. "Not bad for a little fur ball; there's only one left." He pointed at 3PO. "You stay here. We'll take care of this."

Wicket was feeling very excited.  _"Songs shall be sung of this."_

R2 didn't understand what the Ewok said, but he had to give credit where it was due.  _"Your friend's brave."_

3PO shuffled over to them. "I have decided that we shall stay here."

And right about now, Paploo was wishing that he had stayed behind too. This strange flying beast was going so fast he could barely hang on. But once he looked over his shoulder, he saw that it wasn't nearly going fast enough as the scouts gained on him, and he quickly swatted the bike's side.  _"Faster! Faster!"_

Apparently, he didn't understand how machines worked. So far, he had been very lucky to avoid crashing into anything. Things began spinning out of control even further, quite literally, when a laser blast from one of the scouts sent Paploo's bike spinning for a few moments.

" _This beast is awful,"_  he grumbled as he straightened himself out.

He'd had enough. He wanted off, and he wanted off now. A dangling vine provided his means of escape, and he grabbed onto it as he passed below. The bike kept going, and the scouts kept following.

Back at the shield generator, the lone scout that had remained behind was quickly captured. It didn't take much to get the security code to the door either.

" _Clear!"_  Chewie told the others as the heavy metal doors slid open.  _"Move."_  He and the others stepped into the darkness. They found it a little strange that there was no one else around, but there was no time to question it.  _"Go."_

They made their way down the dark corridor, still not running into any personnel. At least not until they blasted their way into the control room where only a few men were station.

"Alright, up!" Han shouted at them. "Move! Come on! Quickly, quickly. Chewie."

" _On it,"_  the Wookiee replied, backing the men into a corner, keeping his crossbow on them.

"Han, hurry," Leia urged. "The fleet will be here any moment."

" _Don't move,"_  Chewie growled at his prisoners.

"Charges, come on," Han snapped impatiently. "Come on!"

" _Hurry!"_

Thinking back on it, they should have realized that things were going too smoothly. It was so obviously a trap. But none of them could have possibly realized how deep the emperor's plan went. As treacherous and as deceptive as he was when he slowly became the ruler of the galaxy, Darth Sidious had carefully laid out everything ever so nicely. It wasn't just the shield generator that was a trap, but the entire battle itself.

To finally crush the Republic once and for all, Darth Sidious had  _allowed_  them to obtain all the information they had. He had let them think they were making plans to finish off the Empire, when it was in fact his plan that would finish off them. For lying in wait on Endor was an entire army of Stormtroopers, all armed to the teeth. The same went for the Rebel fleet. If they didn't crash into the barrier surrounding the Death Star, the countless battle ships and Star Destroyers would finish them off.

What more, the Death Star's weapon system was  _not_  inoperable as the Rebels had been led to believe. It was all part of Sidious' plan, and he was currently rubbing Luke's face in it. Darth Vader had delivered him to his master, and the emperor immediately began the seduction of the Dark Side.

That first step was all it took to begin the journey down the path Anakin himself had taken. Claiming to been unarmed, he ordered Luke to strike him, an unarmed enemy, down. He egged the young Jedi on, encouraging him to do something that was not the Jedi way, to give in to his anger and hatred. He could sense it, the boy wanted to, badly, but was holding himself back, knowing it was wrong. But was so  _hard_  to resist, especially knowing how Sidious had played him and his friends for fools, tricking them into walking into their own deaths.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. The trap and been sprung, and, back on Endor, the Imperial soldiers were now making their move. Watching from a distance, 3PO gasped as he watched several men run into the shield generator. "Oh my! They'll be captured."

Wicket realized that the stealth operation had failed.  _"Wait here! Time for Plan B!"_

R2 turned to him as the Ewok hurried off.  _"Hey, hold up!"_

3PO was taken aback by his sudden departure as well. "W-Wait! Wait, come back!"

Wicket didn't even look back.  _"You two stay there!"_

Almost as if he were afraid the astromech droid would take off as well, 3PO placed his hand on his head, holding him back. "R2, stay with me."

R2 wobbled back a bit as 3PO held him in place.  _"Ok, fine."_

Inside, Han, Leia, and the others suddenly found themselves surrounded by several armed soldiers. One of them glared at Han, sticking his gun in his face. "You rebel scum!"

Chewie realized that the plan had just gone very, very wrong.  _"Now what?"_  He received no answer as his crossbow was torn out of his hands.  _"No! The fleet is coming!"_

As a matter of fact, the fleet was already here. They had just come out of hyperspace and were now approaching the incomplete Death Star. It was the moment of truth. The result of this attack would decide the fate of the war, one way or another.

Still feeling nervous, Nunb checked the computer. The Death Star was showing up on the scopes, but there was nothing on the shield one way or the other.  _"Does a down shield provide a reading?"_

Lando gave him a strange look. "We've gotta be able to get some kind of reading on that shield, up or down."

But there was nothing. That could only mean one thing.  _"Then the Empire's jamming us!"_

Confusing crossed Lando's face. "Well, how could they be jamming us if they don't know… if we're coming…?" His stomach dropped as he realized the horrible truth. "Break off the attack, the shield is still up!"

Flying in his X-Wing, Wedge Antillis, one of the few survivors of the first Death Star attack, gave his scope a confused look. "I get no reading. You sure?"

Right now, Lando trusted his instincts far more than his technology. "Pull up! All craft pull up!"

The shield was invisible, so they had no way of knowing how close to death they came as they made a complete U-turn. It seemed though that they were nowhere near out of danger yet. Hundreds, maybe thousands of TIE fighters suddenly came flying in, and behind them were dozens of Star Destroyers, including Vader's command ship, the Executor, the Super Star Destroyer.

Over the telecom, Admiral Ackbar's voice boomed. "IT'S A TRAP!"

Truer words had never been spoken, and back on Endor, the group was seeing the full extent of it.

" _Damn,"_  Chewie grumbled, looking around the forest.

Stormtroopers and other imperial soldiers were everywhere. There had to have been hundreds of them, and they even had several All Terrain Scout Transports; like their AT-AT counterparts, they too were commonly referred to as Walkers. It seemed the Empire was taking no chances this time. Everyone, it seemed, had been captured.

"Hello! I say, over there! Were you looking for me?"

Well, not everyone, not yet anyway. But with 3PO revealing his and R2's location for some reason, it seemed that the last of them were about to be caught.

" _Run!"_  Chewie shouted to the protocol droid. But it was too late. Several Stormtroopers were making their way to the two droids' location.

It seemed, though, that this whole thing was part of some scheme that R2 was cooking up, though 3PO wasn't so sure about it. "Well, they're on their way. R2, are you sure this was a good idea?"

As the Stormtroopers surrounded them, several Ewoks jumped down on them from up above. Wicket and Logray arrived with several more Ewok warriors, the latter crying out to his brethren.  _"All warriors, attack! Sound the call!"_

From up in the tress, a horn was blown. Chewie looked around curiously as the sound echoed through the forest.  _"Listen!"_

From all around, Ewoks came out of hiding. Hundreds of them, thousands of them, from numerous tribes, all having gathered to fight against the Empire.

" _Fire!"_  an Ewok declared, and several hundreds arrows were launched. While no match for a good blaster, the arrows still did a decent job of penetrating the Stormtroopers' armor, and was even more affective against those without it.

The sudden appearance of the countless furry critters sent the Stormtroopers into a state of confusion and disarray. While they were busy ducking for cover from the arrows, the Rebel soldiers quickly made their escape.

" _Go!"_  Chewie shouted to them. He picked up one Stormtrooper and threw him into another.  _"Move!"_

Mass chaos. It was the only way to describe the scene. Lasers blast and arrows were flying through the air. Ewoks and Stormtroopers ran around in turmoil. In all the craziness, Han and Leia managed to make it to the shield generator's doors, only to find them locked by the Imperial soldiers that had rushed inside when the Ewoks attacked.

Though the Empire had far greater weapons and technology than the Ewoks, the furry creatures had far superior numbers. It was what the battle came down to for the two armies, quality versus quantity. With their greater numbers, the Ewoks even dared to challenge the Walkers.

" _Here it comes,"_  the chief announced as a Walker approached, and the Ewoks attempted to hold the death machine back by wrapping a vine around one of its legs.

Back at the doors, Leia discovered a major problem. "Code's changed! We need R2!"

Having been covering her, Han handed her a comlink. "Here's the terminal."

Leia snatched the device and spoke into it. "R2, where are you?"

" _Same spot,"_  the droid replied from his hiding place.

"We need you at the bunker, right away!"

R2 recognized the urgency in her voice, and quickly informed her that he was on his way, taking a moment to inform the protocol droid that he had to go.

3PO was taken aback. "Going? What do you mean you're going?"

" _Just what I said."_

"Going where, R2?"

But R2 was already leaving.  _"No time to explain."_

3PO hurried after him. "Oh, wait! R2, this is no time for heroics! Come baaaack!"

Against all odds, they somehow made it to Han and Leia intact. The two were still at the sealed doors, firing at any Stormtroopers in sight.

" _Here I am!"_  R2 announced as he hurried over.

3PO was right behind him. "We're coming!"

R2 ignored him as he rolled up to Han.  _"I'm here. What do you need?"_

The former smuggler just gestured. "Come on, come on!"

" _The door?"_ It was a rhetorical question, and R2 extended his mechanical arm to hack into the computer system to open the doors.

"Oh, R2, hurry!" 3PO urged.

But it seemed R2 and his little tricks would not be saving the day this time. Having spotted the little droid and realizing what he was doing, a Stormtrooper fired at him, and R2 was blasted back.  _"WHOA!"_

"My goodness!" 3PO gasped.

R2's systems went into massive overdrive as all his gadgets and gizmos came popping out.  _"Overload! I'm crashing!"_

"R2," 3PO cried, "why did you have to be so brave?"

" _Sorry…"_  the astromech droid managed to get out before his systems shut down.

Han sighed. "Well, I suppose I can hotwire this thing."

As he set to work, the battle continued around them. Though R2 had been fortunate enough to survive the laser blast he received, the Ewoks weren't so lucky, and as two fled from a Walker, a laser blast from the machine knocked them over.

The first Ewok recovered quickly and stood up, reaching out for his friend.  _"Come on. Come on."_  He noticed something was wrong when his friend didn't get up. Horrified, he looked down at him, realizing his friend had been hit.

" _Don't die…"_  he pleaded, but received no response, and he began to weep over his fallen comrade.

The Ewoks seemed to realize that the Walkers were the biggest threat. If only they had something like that on their side. And that is when it occurred to them. Why couldn't they hijack one?

The two that came up with the idea quickly recruited Chewie to their cause, using hand gestures to communicate. It didn't take long for the Wookiee to catch on, and he was all for it.

" _There,"_  one of the Ewoks cried, pointing at a Walker.  _"That beast."_

" _Perfect,"_  said Chewie.  _"Lets go."_

Following the Ewoks' lead, the trio swung onto the top of the Walker. One of them dropped in front of the window and waved mockingly at the men inside.  _"Hello in there. Peekaboo!"_

When one of the men opened the top hatch, instead of seeing an Ewok, he found a Wookiee, who promptly grabbed him and tossed him off the Walker.  _"Got you! Goodbye!"_

The brown furred Ewok jumped into the Walker, his black furred friend right behind, shouting encouragements to his companion as they beat the man inside with their sticks.  _"Ha, ha! Get him! Get him! Finish him."_

When the man was finally knocked out, the first Ewok looked at the controls.  _"Good. Now how do we make it go?"_

Experimenting, he pushed a lever forward, and the Walker took a step, startling Chewie. He stuck his head inside, glaring at the two Ewoks.  _"Hey, I almost fell off."_

" _Get inside, hurry,"_  one of them told him.

Chewie rolled his eyes as he closed the hatch.  _"Geez, crazy Ewoks."_  He took control of the Walker, steering it towards another one and firing upon it. The enemy Walker went up in flames, and Chewie smiled at his two companions.  _"That's how it's done."_  He noticed the brown Ewok curiously reaching for the controls and smacked his hand away.  _"Don't touch!"_

" _Stop it!"_  the black one scolded his friend.

With their new Walker, the tables were beginning to turn as Chewie began firing upon the Stormtroopers. The Ewoks cheered as the machine walked by, and Chewie gave his new friends a proud look.  _"Nice work."_

They eventually made their way back towards the shield generator where a laser blast had grazed Leia's arm. She repaid the Stormtrooper and his companion in full with a laser blast. At the very least, she finally got Han to admit that he loved her.

That's when Chewie in his new Walker came waltzing up to them. With the battle dying down, he couldn't resist playing a little joke by scaring the former smuggler before popping out. _"Hello."_

"Chewie?!" Han exclaimed.

" _Fooled you!"_

But Han was in no mood for games. "Get down here, she's wounded."

The Wookiee scowled, slightly put off.  _"Fine!"_

Suddenly, inspiration struck. "No, wait!"

" _What?"_

Cocky Han was back, and he turned to Leia with a smug smile on his face. "I got an idea."

It was a rather brilliant one too. Using the communicator in the Walker, they contacted those inside the shield generator, stating that the battle was over, but they needed reinforcements to round up the fleeing rebels.

Things didn't go exactly according to plan, but as the doors opened for the Imperial soldiers to come out, instead of sneaking in like Han had intended, several dozen Ewoks surrounded them.

Now they were back to where they were before, planting explosives inside the shield generator. Han was busy at work, with Chewie right next to him. "Throw me another charge."

Chewie did.  _"Hurry!"_

But while things were going better on Endor, inside the Death Star, another battle was going on. One inside, and one outside. The outside battle was taking place between Luke and Vader, the two engaged in a fierce lightsaber duel. The second was within Luke himself. For a moment, he had fallen prey to the Dark Side's temptation, and attempted to strike down the unarmed emperor. Vader had intercepted, which had led to the duel they were now engaged in.

But a third battle was taking place. This one within Vader. As Luke fought against the Dark Side, Vader fought against the Light Side. Luke could sense the conflict within him, feel his father struggling against everything he had known for over two decades now. It kept him hopeful that his father could still be redeemed.

But as Luke hid in the shadows, refusing to fight any longer, Vader's taunting words were beginning to get to him. The Sith Lord was using his feelings against him, claiming that turning to the Dark Side was the only way he would be able to save his friends, using his love for them against him.

It was the same thing that had caused Anakin to fall from grace. He was using the love Luke had for his friends, the fear of losing them, as a weapon. Luke shut his eyes, trying to block out Vader's words. This was why having emotional attachment was forbidden for a Jedi. The fear of losing them, the promises the Dark Side made in order to save them, was a powerful tool that tempted them. And, for a moment, Luke found himself actually  _considering_  it.

If it was indeed the only way to save his friends, then maybe he should just surrender to the darkness. If the couldn't defeat the Empire, then maybe, on the inside, he could do some good, maybe change the way certain things were done. At the very least he could have his friends' spared. Was that not worth it?

But that was the treachery of the Dark Side. All it took was a few steps down it before it consumed you completely. Luke would not allow it; he couldn't allow it. But his friends… Han, Chewie, Leia. Especially Leia. He'd only just found out she was his sister. Was he really going to lose her now?

"So," Vader's deep electronic voice echoed through the darkness as he sensed his son's thoughts, "you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her too."

Luke cursed his foolishness. Obi-Wan had warned him to bury his feelings, but he hadn't. And now they were being turned against him. The Dark Side truly was treacherous. It was within that moment that Luke truly understood how and why his father had been seduced.

"If you will not turn to the Dark Side," Vader continued, "then perhaps  _she_  will."

It happened. Luke's control snapped. The thought of Leia, consumed by darkness, becoming just another evil monster, it broke the floodgates, and all the anger and hatred he felt towards the Empire, the emperor, his father, it all came pouring out.

It felt good to let lose, to not have to keep his emotions in check, to simply  _feel_ , and to unleash those feelings. He didn't think, he just acted, lashing out at Vader in a mad frenzy. The Sith Lord fought back, but was quickly put on the defense, backing away as Luke's lightsaber met his again and again until, finally, the blade came down across Vader's wrist, severing it from his hand.

The Sith Lord collapsed, the sensors in his robotic limb simulating the pain. Luke pointed his lightsaber at him, breathing heavily, a deranged smile on his face. It felt good, he felt good. This power, this rush, it was exhilarating, all consuming. It was…

The Dark Side.

Sidious' laughter echoed through the room as he approached. "Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now fulfill your destiny, and take your father's place at my side."

In a strangely ironic way, it was the emperor himself that saved Luke. The Sith Lord's cruel words were what brought Luke back to his senses. What had he been doing? He barely recognized himself. He  _didn't_  recognize himself. That person that had just attacked Vader like a mad animal, that wasn't him. He didn't know who it was, but it hadn't been him. What had he been  _doing?_

He looked back to his father, his gaze going to his hand, the one Vader had cut off in Cloud City. Then his eyes were drawn to the severed limb on the Sith Lord. He saw a series of wires poking out of the spot where a hand should have been. This hadn't been the first time his father had lost a limb.

It was in that moment that Luke realized that he and Vader were indeed the same. Like father, like son.

Except for one thing.

"Never," he whispered. He turned to Sidious and through his lightsaber at the Sith Lord's feet. "I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You've failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

Sidious seemed perplexed for a moment as he stared at the boy, but then a look of cold fury crossed his face. "So be it…  _Jedi_."

When Vader had first brought Luke to the emperor, Luke didn't know what to expect. What would the most evil being in the galaxy, possibly the entire  _universe_ , be like? Surely some kind of hideous monster.

At least that's what Luke had expected. Not this decrepit old man. And while Sidious was certainly no pretty face, he was far from a monster. The rancor back on Tatoonie, now  _that_  had been a monster. This was just a feeble old man. He looked physically weak, like he could break at any moment. Scarred, paper-thin skin draped over brittle bones, the emperor, while not pleasant to look at, didn't seem like he would be much of a threat. Even his teeth were broken and filled with cavities, and Luke was pretty sure he hadn't seen the man's yellowish-orange eyes blink once.

It was the power of the Dark Side. Luke had learned that it was like a drug, both figuratively and literally. While it granted great power and wisdom, it took a massive toll on the body, deteriorating and misshaping it until it was unrecognizable. This was why the Sith had developed the technique known as Mask, allowing them to make them appear as they would have had they never turned to the Dark Side.

Sidious' disguise had dissolved when his power had been reflected back at him, and he had never felt the need to replace it. He had used it to fool the Senate into thinking that his scarring and deformity were a result of Mace Windu's attempt on his life. His appearance had fooled the Senate, and it had fooled Luke too. While the emperor may have been physically weak, he was very powerful indeed with the Force.

"If you will not be turned," Sidious hissed, slowly raising his hands, "you will be destroyed!"

Bright blue bolts of electricity flew from his fingertips. Luke was blasted off his feet as the emperor's power, fueled by pure hatred, struck him. Another blast came, followed by another. Luke had tried to deflect it, but was unable to.

"Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the Dark Side," Sidious taunted, sending another blast of electricity at the boy. "You have paid the price for your lack of vision."

The electricity came again, this time in a continuous scream. Luke could do nothing but cry out as he writhed in agony at the emperor's feet. His father stood beside his master, staring at Luke's twitching form, his mask making it impossible to reveal what he was thinking.

"Father… please…" Luke begged. "Help me!"

Vader looked away, at his master, at this display of power the Dark Side provided. It had been that power that he had wanted, to save Padmé. In fact, it had been in a situation very similar to this one when he had made the decision that had changed his life and led him down his path to the Dark Side. He still remembered it like it had happened only yesterday.

Darth Sidious, lying on the floor, begging for help as bolts of electricity were reflected at him from Windu's lightsaber, promising that he could save the one he loved; the one thing he had wanted beyond anything else. And there was Windu, sending the Sith Lord's lightning back at him, revealing Sidious' true face. It was in that moment that Anakin had chosen to abandon everything he knew and stood for to save his wife.

It was happening again. This time it was his son begging to be saved as he was being electrified, the emperor sending the lightning his way. And it was up to him to decide what to do, to turn away from everything he knew and stood for to save his son.

And just like before, it came down to two questions. What would he be willing to do, and what would he be willing to sacrifice for it? And just like before, the answers were the same.

Anything, and everything.

Anakin Skywalker reached out, grabbing Sidious around the waist, and lifting him into the air. The Sith Lord cried out, his bolts of electricity flying all around. They danced across Anakin's suit, frying its systems, malfunctioning it and his robotic limbs.

Yet Anakin took one step, then another, moving his fried robotic legs on pure willpower as he approached a shaft and tossed the emperor into it. Sidious' cries echoed off the walls as he plummeted miles down the shaft into the Death Star's main reactor. The power of his lightning crossed with the power of the reactor, and a massive blast of pure energy erupted outward.

Back up in the emperor's chambers, Luke struggled to his feet and approached his father. Anakin had done what both Yoda and Obi-Wan claimed could not be done, turned from the Dark Side. And in doing so, he had destroyed the last of the Sith, bringing balance to the Force, just as the prophecy had said he would.

And in doing so, he had also destroyed himself.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

INTO THE DEATH STAR

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The emperor had been destroyed, and so had the shield generator back on Endor. Admiral Ackbar confirmed the shield was no longer present around the Death Star, and the fleet finally moved to destroy the massive battle station. Being incomplete, it allowed the ships a space to fly into in order to knock out the main reactor.

"I'm going in," Wedge announced, just a short distance ahead of the Millennium Falcon.

" _This is it,"_  said Ninb.

Lando brought the Falcon about. "Here goes nothing."

They flew inside. It would be a long perilous journey to the center of the massive battle station, full of many twists and turns, not to mention tight spaces.

Like the one they were racing towards.

" _Look out!"_  Nunb shouted.

A satellite dish broke off the Falcon as the ship flew through a space that was almost too small to fit through.

"That was too close," Lando muttered, hoping that Han wouldn't be too angry that he had put more than a scratch on his beloved ship.

A few TIE fighters had flown in after them, and they weren't making the flight any easier. Lando suggested that they split up and head back to the surface in an attempt to get some of the enemy ships to follow. Among those that had headed back was an A-wing starfighter, piloted by Arvel Crynyd. While managing to get a few TIE fighters to follow him back to the surface, he ended up flying into a laser blast that sent his ship spinning into space. He managed to gain control just enough to fly it kamikaze style into Vader's personal flagship, the Executor, taking out it and Admiral Firmus Piett.

The 57,000 foot ship shifted from the blast of Crynyd's explosive collision, crashing into the Death Star and going up in flames. Alarms rang out as Imperial personnel ran about. No one paid mind to Luke as he attempted to drag his father to a ship so they could escape. But he was too weak to continue, and his father's broken, limp body was too heavy for him to go on.

"Luke…" Anakin wheezed, "help me take… this mask of."

Luke stared at him. Did his father know what he was asking? The suit had been the only thing keeping him alive for years. If he removed the mask, Anakin would no longer be able to breathe. "But you'll die."

Anakin knew that. He also knew that he was dying anyway. His suit was fried, its functions no longer working. He had known this would happen when he had stepped into Sidious' lightning. But he had done it anyway, for his son. "Nothing… can stop that now… Just for once… let me… look on you with my own eyes…"

It was a last request, Luke knew it was, and he could not deny his father this. And so, he peeled away the mask, the face of Darth Vader, to reveal Anakin Skywalker's true face underneath, the face of his father.

The looked at each other,  _really_  looked at each other. Father to son. Behind the mask was not a monster, but the face of a tortured old man. Scarred from his burns in his fight with Obi-Wan, pale from having never seen the sun since the mask was placed on him, decrepit from use of the Dark Side. Tired, weak… and smiling.

Luke smiled back. His father's appearance did not bother him. It was as Yoda had told him over a year ago; they were luminous beings, not this crude matter.

"Now…" Anakin breathed, speaking in his own voice for the first time in nearly 25 years, "go, my son… Leave me…"

Luke refused. "No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you!"

Anakin's eyes were kind, and full of acceptance. Acceptance of many things. His fate, his choices, himself. "You already have, Luke… You were right… You were right about me… Tell your sister… you were right…"

And with that, Anakin Skywalker died with a smile on his face.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

CELEBRATING ON ENDOR

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The exploding Death Star lit up the sky, it's destruction signaling the end of the war. Down on Endor, the Ewoks began cheering as the massive explosion began to fade. Chewie cheered right along with them, his joyful  _"YESSSSSS!"_  overpowering their victorious cries.

" _We won!"_  R2 shouted.  _"We won! We won!"_

"They did it!" 3PO unnecessarily declared.

A short distance away, Han and Leia looked up at the fading embers in the sky. Trying to mask his concern, Han glanced at Leia. "I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew."

Leia hesitated for a moment, seeming to search for something, and finding her answer. "He wasn't. I can  _feel_  it."

Han stared. There was a look on Leia's face that he couldn't identify. She had been acting strangely ever since she had snuck out to speak with Luke in private last night. It was almost as if she…

Then it hit him, and he felt his heart break. "You love him, don't you?"

She gave him a bewildered look. "Well, yes," she said, as if this should have been obvious.

His shattered heart broke again. He tried very hard to keep his voice steady and hide his pain. "Alright, I understand. Fine. When he comes back," he paused, trying to prevent his voice from cracking, "I won't get in the way."

Leia's eyes widened as she realized the misunderstanding, and she chuckled. "Oh, it's not like that at all. He's my  _brother_."

What she would give for a camera. The great Han Solo had been rendered completely speechless. She never thought she'd see the day when he would literally have nothing to say. But she took advantage of his silence by planting a kiss on his face. That seemed to snap him out of his stupor, and he kissed her right back.

Wicket suddenly popped up beside them.  _"Freedom! We won!"_  Then he realized what he had just interrupted and gave another joyful cry. _"Congratulations, you two! I accept your union! Well done!"_

The celebrating didn't just take place on Endor. All across the galaxy, news of the death of the emperor and the fall of the Empire spread. Cries of joy echoed across countless planets, a loud "Wesa free!" coming from the planet Naboo.

It seemed that the only one who wasn't celebrating was Luke. He'd made it off the Death Star in time, with his father's body no less. Now he was giving him a proper Jedi funeral. For that's what Anakin Skywalker was in the end, a Jedi. He would join in on the celebrating soon, but first he had to morn the loss of his father.

Music played loudly in the Ewok village. Almost everyone was singing and dancing. Even R2 was attempting it as the furry creatures moved about beside him.  _"I am dancing! This is the best I can dance!"_

The pilots that had destroyed the Death Star were there as well, and upon seeing the general who had led the attack, Chewie went over to him.  _"Lando, you!"_  The two hugged joyfully. _"You actually did it!"_

Back by R2, an Ewok was still trying to get him to dance, swinging its arms back and forth in front of him.  _"Let's dance!"_

" _I'm dancing! I'm dancing!"_  the droid declared, wobbling back and forth. But he quickly grew tired of it.  _"That's enough for me."_  He was glad when the Ewok seemed to give up and chose to hug him instead.

Luke had joined in at this point, and amongst the celebrating Rebels, three figures caught his attention, bringing a smile to the young Jedi's face. The first was Obi-Wan in Force Ghost form. The second was Yoda, also a Force Ghost. And the third, the third was his father, Anakin Skywalker, appearing as he would have had he not turned to the Dark Side, the two Jedi Masters beside him having shown their redeemed friend how to manifest himself so that he could come and show Luke in person that all was well.

Luke smiled, glad that his father had found peace. He felt an arm on his shoulder and turned to find Leia standing beside him. It didn't seem like she was able to see any of the Jedi spirits, but maybe that was for the best. They would all be reunited on the other side in due time anyway. For now, it was time to celebrate being alive, and the newfound freedom and peace that came with it.

" _It's over."_  R2 declared.  _"It's finally over. We're free."_

And as they celebrated their freedom, the Ewok's velebration song,  _Yub Nub_ , echoed throughout the night.

_Freedom, we got freedom._

_And now that we can be free,_

_Come on and celebrate._

_Celebrate the freedom._

_Celebrate the power._

_Celebrate the glory._

_Celebrate the love._

_Power, we got power._

_And now that we can be free,_

_It's time to celebrate._

_Celebrate the light. Freedom!_

_Celebrate the might. Power!_

_Celebrate the fight. Glory!_

_Celebrate the love._

_Celebrate the love._

_Celebrate the love._

_Glory, we found glory._

_The power showed us the light,_

_And now we all live free._

_Celebrate the light. Freedom!_

_Celebrate the might. Power!_

_Celebrate the fight. Glory!_

_Celebrate the love._

_Celebrate the love._

_Celebrate the love._

_Celebrate the loooooooove!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I was really ticked that they replaced "Yub Nub" with that other song, same for the one sung in Jabba's palace. And the added "NO!" that Vader cried before he destroyed the emperor, uch! Oh, and don't even get me started on Anakin's Force Ghost appearing as Hayden Christensen. As brilliant as George Lucas is, he needs to learn that 'if it's not broke, don't fix it'. That's why I'm holding onto my VHS copies of the original trilogy. Anyway, that brings the first six to a close. I will be doing "The Force Awakens" too, and 8 and 9 when they come out, so look forward to more)

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: I hope you get the general idea of what I'm trying to do with this story. Did I do a good job of recreating the scenes, filling in the gaps between scene changes, and providing background? And what about the translations? Can you not see them saying these things? For the Podrace scenes, I used the Star Wars manga to get a lot of the translations with Fode and Beed, which provided an actual translation for what Beed was saying. The book helped too, but not as much. Next week, I'll have "Attack of the Clones", and then so on.)


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